Hi! Isn't this perfect weather for chili! It is suddenly so cold. And so windy. And a pot of fragrant chili warms are hearts as well as our tummies.
Admit it, doesn't cold weather make you extra hungry? I know I am starving,lol, after a long cold beach walk. And my family loves chili, especially chili made with lots and lots of colorful veggies. So when my Colorado internet friend Lise mentioned, oh so casually, that she was making GREEN chili, I was intrigued. And you know me, always with the Crock Pot experiments.
I'll put a couple recipe links for green chili at the end because it seems that Lise is a ''toss some in the pot'' cook like me. You know, all little of this , a little of that. She did kindly send directions though..and a wonderful link for the spices which I cannot buy here. Savory Seaonings
Aren't they beautiful! And great fast shipping too. For the Chili Verde I needed the green adobo and the green chili powder.
Lise pan sears everything first. I was too lazy. I cut boneless pork cutlets into strips;
I also used some leftover ground beef, mostly just to use it up...sauteed with a diced Vidalia/ sweet onion and garlic.
That went in the slow cooker, along with a can of fire roasted tomatoes, four small cans of diced green chilies [mild, not hot], 2/3 of a box of chicken broth.
Added cut up peppers, carrots, squash...
[summer yellow Plus butternut.
My family really loves their veggies.]
Fresh cilantro.
Lise told me not to add okra but I did it anyway. Was fine....and I added a bag of frozen corn towards the end of the cooking time.
Seasonings to taste: besides the green adobo and green chili powder I added a bit if Savory Seasonings black chili powder, a T. of ''sugar''[Splenda], salt , pepper, cumin, paprika, Mexican spiced chocolate-chili powder, a hint of cinnamon. This is a mild favorful chili. If you like your chili hot, you could add some jalapeno peppers or hot chili power. Be careful, though. I notice the slow cooker enhances spicy peppers and things get too hot to eat.
More fresh cilantro added at the end.
Lise mentioned her onions weren't quite as cooked as she'd have liked, so I cooked the Crock Pot on high for two hours then 6 hours on low.
Serve on a bed of shaved lettuce, with cheese and sour cream.
Trader Joe's Veggie-Flax seed taco chips for a bit of crunch.
I have no idea why these not-corn chips are ''healthier''---or even if they are?--but we love flax seed and these were great, very tasty and so thin and crisp.
Verdict: wonderful chili!
It got yummied up and eaten before I could freeze half. A wonderful winter [or summer!] easy meal. Only drawback..it would have been better, more caramelized and richer tasting, if it had been cooked in my le Creuset dutch oven, in the regular oven...instead of the Crock Pot. The Crock Pot steams instead of roasting. Next time: into the oven for this new favorite.
PS Good for Super Bowl Sunday? You can serve this to your football fans and feel happy they are eating something delicious and healthy.
Thank you, Lise!
for recipes, try: Martha Stewart's Green Chili
http://mexicanfood.about.com
The Soup Chick's Green Chili Stew
I read over half a dozen recipes, via Google search. Bottom line, you put everything in the pot, add seasonings, and voila~ easy-peasy!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach.....
pls enlarge the photos by clicking on any one pix.
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