Quick & Delicious Healthy Homemade Winter Chili Recipe

I'm not a great cook. I have never professed to be. With that said, I do have to sing my own praises for the chili recipe I created this past weekend. Somehow it turned out great, and since it's healthy and easy, I thought I'd share it with y'all to keep you healthy and strong for the upcoming holiday season. We all need our energy for the parties, shopping, and celebrations ahead this month. It's also just a great meal for those chilly, damp weekends like the one we just had.

Note: when you're chopping and slicing the vegetables below, don't dice them finely. Leave them a little chunky so that when they soften, they will still have a hearty texture. Otherwise, you're just makin' sauce ~ am I right? Also, if you want to do this vegetarian styles, simply leave out the ground beef and add another can of black beans (or red kidney beans) instead.

Victoria's Quick & Delicious Healthy Homemade Winter Chili Recipe

2 medium cooking onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
10-20 medium white or cremini mushrooms, sliced in quarters
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of black beans
500-750g of extra lean ground beef (leave out if you're opting for veggie chili)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt (I prefer kosher)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Grated old cheddar cheese for garnish

Grab a large pot and add the olive oil. This will be your chili pot. Set on medium heat and sautée the onions for 2-3 minutes (until they soften) and then add the garlic and stir for about 60 seconds more.

Add all the spices (salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir).

Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, and sautée while stirring another minute, then add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes, bring to a quick boil (don't walk away), stir a few times, then turn right down to simmer on medium-low, stirring every few minutes while you do the following step.

In a separate pan, sautée the ground beef on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it turns from pink to brown, then drain any liquid from the pan and add the ground beef to the chili pot and stir.

Let the chili simmer on low low low for a couple of hours to help the vegetables soften and the flavours melt together.  I like to keep a lid on mine because I don't like all the tomato juice to evaporate or it will leave the chili a bit dry for my taste.

About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, add the cans of chick peas and beans, simmer on medium low and then you're done!

Serve with crusty garlic bread or slices of green apple, and garnish with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.