One Pot Chili

I AM BACK! After a brief hiatus (and starting school and work) I am back in the kitchen!

Last night I was fortunate enough to FINALLY see the movie Julie&Julia with my cousin, Evie and friend, Clay (check him out at: panclayke.blogspot.com).
Yes, I know how long it's been out, and yes, I know I should have been there opening night, but better late than never....right?

Let's just say it was AMAZING!! It was very inspiring to me, since I am a Journalism major and also an aspiring chef.

So this morning, I watched my "Julia". Her name is Ellie Krieger and she has a healthy cooking show on the Food Network. I was awake around 8:30 and she was making one of my all time favorite dishes...CHILI! So I decided to head over to The Fresh Market and get some chili ingredients!

Since I am very conscious of my salt intake, Ellie is a great chef to follow. She makes everything using at least one type of "super food". In this case it was canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have more antioxidants than cooking with fresh tomatoes. So here is my version of a healthy pot of chili.

Oh, and by the way, its all cooked in one pot! A+ for small clean up!

Ingredients:
1 Lg. Vadalia Onion, roughly chopped
3 Lg. Carrot Sticks, roughly chopped
1Lb. Lean ground beef
1Lg. can of diced tomatoes
1 C. Water
1 Med. can of Rotel
2 Med. cans of Kidney Beans (I use the low sodium variety), drain and wash
1 Red Pepper, roughly chopped and seeded
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBsp. Minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Instructions:
Get a big pot that will hold a lot of ingredients....you don't want an overflow of Chili.
Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat.
Add Onion and Carrots, let simmer until tender.
Add the Ground Beef and cook through.
Add Tomatoes, Water, Rotel, and Red Peppers. Let simmer 3 minutes.
Add Kidney Beans, Cayenne Pepper, and Garlic. Let simmer 15 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve and Enjoy!

This is simple and ridiculously delicious!
To garnish you can add sour cream, cheese, or chips. All are a great combo!

Bon Apetite!