Smokey Southwest Chili with Beans [Update]

The best chili I've made to date. This time I've made a chile puree instead of using chili powder, and added an unexpected ingredient. But it's still my trademark Southwestern-style fresh and smokey chili with organic ground beef, tomato base, and beans. This recipe makes a very large batch.

Ingredients
chile puree
3 dried whole ancho chiles
3 dried whole New Mexico chiles
1 dried whole habanero chile (go for 2 if you want it murderous... you could also use other small dried hot chiles and add fresh habanero with the veg)
1-2 C chicken stock
2 dried whole chipotle chiles in adobo sauce + 1 T sauce

Either toast the dried chile peppers in a pan or heat in a microwave at 15-sec intervals until they are pliable enough to remove the seeds and stems (using rubber gloves!). Place them in a saucepan, cover them with stock, and simmer until they soften and plump up (about 10 minutes). Pour the chiles and stock plus the chipotles and adobo into a blender and puree until smooth.

beef
2.5 lb organic ground beef (grass-feed preferred)
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t salt & pepper

In a large stock pot on high heat, brown the beef and seasonings. Aim for good caramelization, but no burning. My trick is to pre-heat the pot then put the meat in all at once, leave it for a good few minutes until my nose tells me it's on the edge, then add the seasonings and start to stir it all up.

veg
beef fat from browning
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (again, add more or add other hot peppers depending on your spice preference)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 small shallots, minced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t salt & pepper

Carefully remove the beef from the pot, leaving the fat. Saute the vegetables in the beef fat until they are soft.

chili
veg
beef
chile puree
3 15-oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (you can soak and cook your own beans if you want, but I'm lazy)
2 15-oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (you can roast your own tomatoes in tomato season)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1 T ground coriander
1 T ground cumin
1/2 T smoked paprika
2 T fish sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Add the beef back into the pot along with the chile puree and the rest of the ingredients above. Bring to a boil, taste for salt & pepper and adjust accordingly, simmer until ravenous. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Lazyass Tortilla Soup

Lazyass slow-cooker “recipe” for chicken tortilla soup:

• 4 cups organic chicken stock
• 8 oz green enchilada sauce (Frontera green is particularly good)
• 1 lb frozen chicken (boneless thighs, breasts, etc.)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 4 oz. frozen fire-roasted onions & peppers
• Tortilla chip crumbs… because we all have them, but if not, use crushed chips or fresh corn tortilla strips or corn flour (masa) mixed with water to thicken the soup (plus extra salt)
• Cheese, cilantro, scallions, sour cream, whatever for garnish

In the morning, put the stock, sauce, and frozen chicken in the slow cooker and set it to low (6-9 hours, but longer is probably ok). One hour before serving, shred the chicken with tongs or two forks and then add the rest of the ingredients. Top with whatever you like for garnish.

"Fruitcake" oatmeal cookies

Amazeballs. Best after completely cooled with a nice cup of tea (or milk tea!). And yes, you can eat them for breakfast because they are oats and fruit!

1 C butter, softened (preferably Kerry Gold)
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 T dark rum
2 C flour
2 C rolled oats
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt (increase to 1 t if using unsalted butter)
3/4 C golden raisins
3/4 C diced candied fruit, including citrus peel (i.e. https://nuts.com/driedfruit/glazedfruit/mixed-peel.html)
1 C chopped toasted pecans (optional but delicious)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream the butter and sugars together, then the add eggs one at a time, mixing well to incorporate. Mix in the vanilla and the rum. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In three batches, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, then fold in the fruit and nuts.

Drop by generous tablespoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 dozen.

Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad

First, let me apologize for being erratic with my blog updates. Part of it is sheer laziness (both in lack of cooking and lack of posting what I do manage to cook these days), and part of it is that I'm way busier than I was when I started this thing... and that's LEGIT!

Let me also explain a couple of lifestyle changes I've made. First, I've started Intermittent Fasting. How does this affect my blog, you ask? Well, the calorie counts of my recipes have increased... by quite a bit. Second, I've started eating fewer carbohydrates. The affect of that one is quite obvious and a little funny to mention here in this post about POTATO salad. Hey, I said "fewer" not "no." And third, I've started lifting heavy weights aka training. That's just a tidbit of which I'm quite proud.

On to the food! This was adapted from smitten kitchen's warm lentil and potato salad. I just happened to have a bag of fresh peas that needed eating and then I thought... why not add bacon? I mean, really, when is the answer to that ever no. I know there are times, but I don't care.

Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad
Components
4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into "lardons"
A few Brussels sprouts, shaved (optional - I had 5 leftover and just decided "why not?")
600-ish grams of peeled potatoes, in small chunks (new/red potatoes would be great, but I only had russet, which were fine, but not the best)
10 oz fresh peas (I get fresh English peas from Trader Joe's, but frozen ones would be fine)

Dressing
1 small shallot, minced (2-4 T, depending on your taste)
1/4 C red wine vinegar (I may have used more because I love vinegar)
2 T capers, drained
4 cornichons, minced (or mini kosher dills)
2 T - 1/4 C olive oil (I used 2 T, but called it 1/4 C in the recipe because I didn't discard the bacon grease... yeah it's lazy and inaccurate, so sue me)
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, pour the vinegar over the shallots and let it sit while you do the rest of the things (this will mellow out the shallot flavor).

Start your bacon in a pan on low heat to render as much fat as possible. Once that's nearly complete, add the Brussels sprouts and cook until tender. Set aside.

Cook potatoes in salted water until close to fork-tender. Add the peas to the potatoes and cook another 60-90 seconds until the peas are done. Drain and put back into the pot with the lid on for 5 minutes to absorb the remaining water and steam.

Stir the rest of the dressing ingredients into the shallots & vinegar. In a large serving bowl, combine the potatoes & peas and bacon & Brussels and toss well with the dressing. Sever warm and enjoy.

Ancho Chile Candied Pecans

Last year for the holidays, I made some semi-successful salty maple pecans for people. This year, I got a real recipe for candied pecans and replaced the disgusting cinnamon with ancho chile powder. Holy crap was that a stroke of genius. The smoky chile flavor paired perfectly with the flavor of the pecans. I used less sugar and more salt than most recipes and have been receiving nothing but compliments, specifically that they are the perfect level of sweetness.

Ancho Chile Candied Pecans

2 lb pecans

1/4 C egg whites

2 T water

1/2 C evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)

1/2 C coconut sugar (or dark brown sugar)

3 t ancho chile powder

2 t Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Whip egg whites with water just until a little foamy. Toss pecans in egg wash, coating thoroughly. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together and toss with eggy pecans until well-combined. Pour onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 15-20 minutes until the sugary stuff starts to crystallize. Immediately remove parchment paper to another surface to cool. Wait to bag pecans (if you're not shoveling them directly into your mouth) until they are completely cooled and dry.

Leftover Chicken... Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
1 lb leftover chicken, cubed (I used b/s breasts that had been roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper)
1/2 C plain yogurt
1/2 t each of garlic powder, ground ginger, garam masala

1 T butter or ghee
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 T fresh grated ginger
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t smoked paprika
2 t garam masala
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz tomato puree
1/2 C heavy cream

Toss the chicken with the yogurt and spices and set aside.

Melt butter/ghee over medium heat. Suatee jalapeno and garlic for about 1 minute, then add the ginger (protip: frozen ginger grates super easily) and dried spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream and simmer another 5 minutes, then add the chicken mixture and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice if you do that kind of thing, or make my adaptation of "Paleo naan," below (no, I'm not a Paleo weirdo... yet... and it's not really naan). Makes 2 very protein-filled servings or 3-4 regular servings.

Lower-Carb "Naan"
1/2 C almond flour
1/2 C Bob's Redmill GF AP Baking Flour (or similar)
2/3 C coconut milk
1/3 C water
1/2 t salt

Stir all ingredients together and pour by fourths onto a medium-heat nonstick griddle or cast iron skillet. Makes 4 small breads. It's good, but more like a dosa than naan.

Sorry for no pictures... it wasn't that pretty.

Whey Protein Powder Comparison NERD TIME

This, my nerd friends, is a cost comparison for several brands of whey protein powder. Basically, I've calculated the price per gram of protein in each one, based on the cheapest price I could easily find online. I've also included a ratio of net carbs to protein and some comments, if applicable. If you'd like me to evaluate a brand you don't see in my table or if you've found lower prices on brands I've evaluated, just comment with details!

Product*	Container Size (lb)	Serving Size (g)	Servings per Container	Protein per Serving (g)	Net Carbs per Serving (g)	Cost of Container ($)	Protein Cost ($/g)	Net Carbs to Protein Ratio	Notes
Body Fortress Whey Isolate	1.95	36.00	24.57	30.00	1.00	15.98	0.022	0.033	Contains carageenan
GNC Pro (1.04 lb)	1.04	34.00	13.87	24.00	5.00	22.99	0.069	0.208
GNC Pro (7 lb)	7.00	35.50	89.44	24.00	5.00	70.52	0.033	0.208
GNC Pro Amp (1.22 lb)	1.22	79.00	7.00	60.00	6.00	34.99	0.083	0.100
GNC Pro Amp (3 lb)	3.00	79.00	17.23	60.00	6.00	75.99	0.074	0.100
Jay Robb Whey Isolate (24 oz)	1.50	30.00	22.68	25.00	1.00	36.39	0.064	0.040	Grassfed**, no artificials, non-GMO, GF
Jay Robb Whey Isolate (80 oz)	5.00	30.00	75.60	25.00	1.00	99.97	0.053	0.040
ON 100% Whey GS (2 lb)	2.00	30.40	29.84	24.00	3.00	28.79	0.040	0.125
ON 100% Whey GS (5 lb)	5.00	30.40	74.60	24.00	3.00	59.69	0.033	0.125
ON Classic Whey	5.00	29.40	77.14	21.00	3.00	85.99	0.053	0.143	4 types of protein
ON Natural 100% Whey GS (2 lb)	2.00	32.00	28.35	24.00	5.00	27.99	0.041	0.208	No artificial sweeteners
ON Natural 100% Whey GS (5 lb)	5.00	32.00	70.87	24.00	5.00	48.62	0.029	0.208
Six Star Whey Isolate	1.54	36.00	19.40	30.00	2.00	19.97	0.034	0.067	Contains creatine
Six Star Whey Protein	2.00	42.00	21.60	30.00	8.00	18.97	0.029	0.267
Syntrax Essence	2.25	28.00	36.45	23.00	0.00	56.95	0.068	0.000	Contains soy
Syntrax Nectar	2.00	25.00	36.29	23.00	0.00	59.95	0.072	0.000	Fruit flavors
Trutein (2.5 lb)	2.50	34.00	33.35	23.00	2.50	30.99	0.040	0.109	Contains Omega 3s and 3 types of protein
Trutein (5 lb)	5.00	34.00	66.70	23.00	2.50	59.95	0.039	0.109
Unicity Lean Complete	1.22	36.80	15.02	18.00	7.00	45.00	0.166	0.389	Contains vitamins
*Whey protein, chocolate, unless otherwise stated; cheapest price found on Amazon.com or mfg website **Grassfed doesn't matter for isolate, though, only concentrate

As you can see, Body Fortress Whey Isolate is the cheapest per gram of protein (and doesn't contain creatine like other BF products). Both Syntrax products have zero net carbs, but are certainly not the cheapest. In the end what matters is taste, because if it's nasty, I won't use it! And what good is a protein powder that you don't use?!