Lighter Beef Chili

This is just what we needed on a cool night.  The recipe is from Everyday Cooking Light and is 221 calories per serving.  I made corn bread and served it with sliced scallions, sour cream, baked tortilla chips, and cheddar cheese.  It is 6 very large servings.  And yes, we have leftovers again.  I have to start learning to cut recipes in half.  I use Jiffy for my cornbread.  I think it is better than I have ever made from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chipped

Salt and ground pepper

2 T tomato paste

2 T chili powder

2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1 # ground beef sirloin

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained (15.5 oz)

Directions:

1.      In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until softened, 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

2.      Add tomato paste, chili powder, and cocoa powder.  Cook, stirring until mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute. 

3.      Add the beef and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink.  3-5 minutes. 

4.      Add tomatoes, with juice, and beans.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer and cook until chili is slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes.

5.      Can be kept warm until ready to serve. 

These are very hearty servings for such a light recipe.  With the amount of chili powder and cocoa, you could uses ground turkey.