Quick Chili

With Helene Spoto

This recipe got its name for a good reason… it’s quick! It’s also easy to make and delicious with a spicy kick your whole family will love. Using very lean ground beef keeps it healthy. For an even lighter version, you can substitute ground turkey breast or make this a vegetarian dish by adding canned black beans instead of using meat. Any way you prepare it, serve it with your favorite toppings for a meal that is sure to become a family favorite. Tip: Try crushing tortilla chips on top for added crunch. This video was filmed in the Doyon's Kitchen & Appliance Showroom at the Doyon's location in Gloucester, MA. You can obtain more information at their web site; www.doyonsappliance.com

Ingredients

1 pound 93% lean ground beef
1-tablespoon chili powder
1-teaspoon garlic powder
1/2-teaspoon cumin
1/2-teaspoon oregano
1/2-teaspoon black pepper
1-tablespoon hot sauce
2 32-ounce containers of medium salsa (use your favorite brand)
4 15-ounce cans dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons canned chopped jalapeno peppers
1-tablespoon chipotle adobo sauce
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.
2. Add the ground meat and sauté’ until cooked through. Drain the grease if desired. (For an easy way to drain the grease, scrunch up some paper towels and place them in the pan with the meat. Using tongs, soak up the grease by moving the paper towels around the bottom of the pan. Remove the paper towels from the pot with the tongs and discard them. 
3. Turn down the heat to medium. Add the seasonings from chili powder to hot sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the salsa and beans. Stir.
5. Add the vinegar, jalapenos, adobo and salt.
6. Stir and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
7. Ladle chili into bowls and serve with assorted toppings.
8. Enjoy! Recipe courtesy of Helene's Custom Cuisine, 2010.

Proprietor & Cooking Instructor, "Helene's Custom Cuisine - Personal and Business Culinary Services."

Helene is still surprised how she became a cooking instructor. She always loved to cook, however, having a busy career as co-owner of Sentry Financial Planning in Burlington & Danvers; she didn’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. Looking for ways to simplify her cooking while still making great food, she learned to adapt recipes in order to make them quick, healthy and still taste great. Helene was so excited about her discoveries she began sharing them with family and friends. She had no idea that this hobby would turn into an opportunity to show so many people how easy this can be as a cooking instructor for the past six years.

With Helene’s Custom Cuisine, her goal, whether it’s a private or group cooking class, interactive dinner party, team building event or corporate on-site cooking demonstration, is to help people discover that preparing delicious food can be done quickly and easily with great results.

Still, the most important three words to describe my cooking are: Quick Healthy Delicious

She lives in Andover with her husband, John.