Comfort Food for Cold Weather: Chili

We’ve had quite the cold snap lately, and cold weather means comfort food: soups, stews, and CHILI. The latter of these comes in all varieties, as seen at cook-offs everywhere. Maybe you prefer your grandma’s recipe. I can’t get past Cinci chili. I was stuck in Ohio for almost 2 years, and Cincinnati chili was my favorite part – the finely ground meat and touch of cinnamon and chocolate are irresistible. I also love Southwest heat, and fortunately, blending the two works!

Without further ado, here’s AJ’s “clean” Cinci-Mex Chili recipe.  You can spice this up with chili powder or finely diced peppers if desired. The recipe combines the Mexican mole flavor with Cincinnati style chili – go 5 ways if you like! (look it up if you don’t know what I mean by “5 ways”)

If you’re early in your nutrition plan, skip the spaghetti squash, and be aware that tomatoes have a lot of carbohydrate. Kidney beans are also not ideal – legumes, antinutrients….

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces chorizo sausage (nitrite-free, preferably; Mexican, not Spanish, which is hard sausage)
• 1 yellow onion , diced
• 1 1/4 cup tomato sauce, or pureed/strained tomato
• 1 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, optional (LEGUME!! not ideal)

1. Preheat oven to 400′.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Roast halved spaghetti squash at 400′ for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, preheat stock pot on medium 1-2 minutes.
4. Add chorizo and 1/2 c onions (and optional diced hot peppers to taste); cook 2-3 mins, stirring to crumble meat, or until onions soften.
5. Combine chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cumin, then add to meat. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes.
6. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, vanilla, and cider vinegar.
7. Cook 8-10 mins or until chili thickens.
8. OPTIONAL – Heat kidney beans (rinsed and drained) in a small pan.
9. Scoop spaghetti squash into individual bowls with a fork.
10. Top with heap of chili. Top with onions, kidney beans, and/or cheese, to taste. Add hot sauce if desired.
11. Enjoy!!