Spicy Lime Chili

I had a few friends over for dinner the other night, so I decided to break out one of my all-time favorites! This  chili is fantastic, because it's easy to adapt to a variety of tastes, you can make it as all-natural or as canned as you want, it can be super meaty or completely vegan, and no matter what you do to dress it up, it's always easy!

This time around, I opted for the meaty version and chose a middle ground in terms of canned vs. all natural:

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 can of Rotel Mexican tomatoes (with lime juice and cilantro)

1lb (can easily be reduced) lean ground beef

2 limes

1/2 large onion

1/2 yellow bell pepper (can do the whole thing if you prefer; can use any color, though green will change the taste)

Things are open to change and interpretation regarding the seasonings, so we'll take them on separately! You can either get a packet of taco seasoning and a packet of ranch dressing mix, or you can do it the fun way (which I prefer) and make your own! I use this recipe for the taco seasoning: 

3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 1/2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like it really spicy, add more--reduce or omit if your tolerance is low)

As you may have guessed, this makes A LOT, so you'll only need about 3 tablespoons from this mix (more or less, depending on taste). The nice thing is that you can mix it all up and then have it on hand for tacos or whatever else! As for the ranch mix substitute, I actually eyeball the quantities of the following spices:

Onion powder (about a tablespoon)

Garlic powder (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

Dill (1-2 teaspoons)

A couple squirts of prepared ranch dressing

And now, the moment you've been waiting for--instructions! I usually start by frying up the beef and adding the 3 tbsp from the taco seasoning. Next, add all of the canned items--drain and rinse the beans before adding, but keep the juice from the tomatoes. Next, add in your "ranch dressing" ingredients; be careful with the dill--I usually add one teaspoon and then taste it to see if I need to add more.  Once all of that is simmering nicely, dice the onion and bell pepper and sauté them in a little butter until the onions are translucent. Add them to the chili, and cover the pot, allowing it to simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes, stirring it a couple of times. 

Next, juice the limes and add the juice to the chili. If you're using pre-squeezed lime juice, I'd add about 2-3 tablespoons (more, if you like it really lime-y!). Let the whole thing simmer for another 10 minutes, and it will be ready to serve!

To complement all of the flavors, I like to add a little chopped cilantro, chopped green onion, grated cheddar cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. You can also serve it as is or include some tasty tortilla chips/strips! (Easily serves 6-7 people)

Sweet Veggie Pasta

So you want to know what I did with all of that nicely conserved asparagus? Well, one of the things was to throw it together with some peppers in this awesome pasta dish--it took me all of fifteen minutes and it tasted amazing! With this sort of recipe, I'm not very good with exact quantities, but here's a list of what I used:

Asparagus
Red, orange, yellow bell pepper
Green onion
Butter
Olive oil
Grated parmesan
Basil
Salt/pepper
Pasta

After chopping the asparagus into  2 inch long pieces, I got them sauteing in a little butter. While they were cooking, I diced the peppers (I only used a small portion from each color) and added them as well as some salt, pepper, and a generous sprinkling of basil. Just before my pasta was done cooking, I chopped and added the green onion (do it in this order so as to get the right cook time for all the veggies).

Once the pasta was done and drained, I added it to the pan and poured a bit of olive oil over the whole thing--enough to moisten the pasta--and then added about 1/3 cup of parmesan. I stirred it up for maybe a minute and then it was ready to go! Sauteing in butter really brought out the sweetness of the peppers and asparagus, and the green onion was a subtle complement to the whole thing! Positively delicious!

Quick Tip #1--Asparagus

Oh, asparagus. I discovered it in Switzerland a few years ago, and I've been in love with those beautiful green stems ever since. It tastes amazing, it's fresh and healthy, and it makes any dish look classy. But the first time I bought a bunch of asparagus, I was devastated to find that half of the tops went sickeningly mushy within a few days. It was then I realized that buying asparagus was akin to a commitment--I had to be willing to use it for every meal until it was gone!

A couple of weeks ago, asparagus went MAJORLY on sale at a nearby grocery store--97 cents a pound! I was so excited that I bought two bunches without considering how I was possibly going to consume it. When I got home and became reacquainted with reason, I went online to see if there was a way to make asparagus last longer in the fridge. I discovered this site http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-asparagus.html which explains that if you wrap asparagus in a damp cloth (I used a paper towel), then it will last longer. I quickly wrapped my bunches (and put them back in the original sack), stuck them in the fridge, and proceeded to break one of my own cardinal rules by forgetting about them for a week!

When I finally remembered that I'd bought all of that asparagus, I approached the refrigerator with a heavy heart...certain that I would find a disintegrating mess in my produce drawer. But when I pulled out the asparagus and unwrapped the heads, they looked brand new! It was like magic! And you know what's more? It's now been two weeks and my asparagus is still going strong--paper towels are my new best friend!

The Beginning

Well, here I go--launching myself into the massive community of food-bloggers! I don't really have anything to post right now (since I'll put up recipes as I make them), but please feel free to explore the other pages on the blog and stay tuned for upcoming deliciousness!