Chili with Beans and Ground Meat

Chili is a winter time household favorite that can be reheated easily. Every time I make this it turns out a little different as:

• I like to mix up bean varieties - someone I know has a real problem with kidney beans because they are KIDNEY beans! I will not mention names to protect the innocent (or just flat out strange!)
• I may not always have peppers on hand and just leave them out!
• I like to mix up chili spices by substituting Chipotle or Ancho. 

Chili with Beans and Ground Meat Recipe:

2 tablespoon olive oil or grapeseed oil

4 garlic cloves

2 large sweet onions (or regular if you can’t find sweet onions, but really try harder next time!!)

2 pound turkey or lean ground beef

1 tablespoon cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 ¼ cups cooked chili or black or kidney beans (15 oz can, organic is better! Read the label on the other stuff, yuck!)

2 ¼ cups cooked white beans

4 ½ cups diced tomatoes (28 oz can)

1 tablespoon balsamic Vinegar

2 tablespoon black strap molasses

½ cup frozen finely chopped spinach

Heat oil in a large pot (5-6 quarts) and sauté onions and minced garlic for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook for another 5 minutes. Toss in the cumin and chili powder, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.  Add beans, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and molasses. Cook, covered for 15 minutes. 

Add chopped spinach, stir and it’s ready to serve! 

Embellish with cheese, sour cream, yogurt, scallions or a little cayenne to spice up your pallet!!

Warm Chili Wishes, 

Bretta =))

Tuna and Avocado Salad with White Beans

If this recipe sounds eerily familiar, it is because it is a knock-off of Erins Avocado Salad. I got so addicted to her salmon salad that I began to ponder my role in the decline of the Pacific Northwest wild salmon population.  And also, wild salmon is expensive (so, so worth every penny, however, but sometimes you have to remind yourself there are other fish in the sea).

1 can albacore tuna
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained (I took a strong liking to Great Northern beans for this, but garbanzos are great also, as are other white beans)
10-12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup feta cheese (I also use Romano cheese often, either is delicious or go cheese-free if you prefer)
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and pepper.

There are endless variations to this. Sometimes I chop some Bibb lettuce leaves and toss them in, or sliced fresh basil if I have it. Chopped pecans are yummy in it. My husband has requested cucumbers be added but  sadly he has been overruled every time as I don't like them! And of course, sub salmon for tuna for the Cadillac version.