What's for Dinner? Our Favorite Chili

'Tis the season for chili, y'all.

There are so many great chili recipes out there. I like to experiment now and then. I even have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to different recipes I want to try. So many chilis, so little time.

Our Favorite Chili is the perfect fall dinner.

Our Favorite Chili recipe is the one I love best and cook most often. It's a pretty basic recipe, but tried and true. I developed this recipe based on what I like in my chili and have fine-tuned it over the years. I'm partial to ground beef, a variety of beans, and petite diced tomatoes.



I stick to my basic recipe every time I make this chili. The only thing I vary is the peppers. Sometimes I use a couple of deseeded jalapeños instead of the bell pepper. If I don't have fresh peppers on hand, I dump in a small can of green chilies.



I start off by browning my ground beef in a dutch oven. Then, I remove the beef with a slotted spoon and dump out any excess grease. Next, I cook up my onions and peppers.




The veggies get cooked until soft and beginning to turn brown. Then, I lower the heat, dump in the garlic, and cook for another minute.



After that, everything gets dumped in - including the cooked meat.



I bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. I like to occasionally stir my chili to make sure my heat is just right and the bottom isn't sticking.



After 30 minutes, I taste the chili and add in more salt or spices as needed.

I usually serve this chili with our favorite gluten free cornbread recipe from Make the Best of Everything. I love that there's no special flour in this cornbread - just pure corn meal.

Cook up a pot of Our Favorite Chili!

My favorite way to eat this chili is to load up my bowl with shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, and green onions, set my cornbread on the side, and walk around eating wherever I want. I usually end up on the couch or the porch if we're not sitting down to family dinner. No need for a drink or a salad or a napkin - just me and my bowl. I love eating that way.

I love cooking up Our Favorite Chili in a large cast iron dutch oven.

Our Favorite Chili

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 large bell pepper or 2 deseeded jalapeños, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
2 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
a scant 1/4 tsp paprika
a scant tsp salt
shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onions for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. In a dutch oven, heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat.
2. Brown the meat. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and dump out any excess grease.
3. If necessary, add in another 1/2 Tbsp olive oil. Cook onions and peppers until soft and onions are starting to turn brown.
4. Lower the heat and add in garlic. Cook another minute.
5. Add in the meat, tomato products, beans, and seasonings. Stir together, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Taste chili and adjust salt and chili powder as needed.
8. Serve with shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, and sliced green onions.

Baked Eggs 2 Ways

Matthew and I are still rock'n the low carb over here. Needing some more variety in the egg department I pulled out an old recipe for Italian Baked Eggs that I got from Damn Delicious a few years ago. These are my favorite versions.



In this pesto version, your baked eggs will only be as good as your pesto. I really like Costco's pesto from the refrigerated section. I used to have an Italian roommate who had an Italian grandmother who would send her jars of homemade pesto and marinara. My roommate was generous. Yes, I was a lucky girl. Costco's refrigerated pesto has a similar flavor to that heaven-sent homemade one.



My absolute favorite version of this dish is made with sun-dried tomato pesto and crumbled gorgonzola. You have to try it.



Also, if you aren't eating low carb, this dish is perfect with crusty bread. In a pinch, toast will do.

Pesto Baked Eggs

(Original recipe found at Damn Delicious)

INGREDIENTS

1 ramekin

olive oil spray

2 Tbsp pesto

2 large eggs

salt & pepper to taste

1 to 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Lightly spray your ramekin with oil spray.

3. Spoon in pesto and gently spread evenly.

4. Break your eggs over the top.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your liking.

6. Top with shredded Parmesan.

7. Place ramekin on a small baking sheet to catch any dripping oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Check after 10 minutes. Mine are usually perfect at 12 minutes.

* Substitute sun-dried tomato pesto and gorgonzola cheese to make my favorite tasty version.

What's for Dinner? Sheet Pan Italian Sausage & Peppers

Despite a few set backs over spring break, the hubbs and I are eating lower carb these days in an effort to lose 30 pounds of, let's call it, baby weight. So far, so good. Matthew's down about 10 pounds and I'm almost down 20.

Meat and veggie dishes are my go to's during this slimming down season. Also, I am all about the one pan oven dishes. With homeschooling, and a baby girl, and a house that won't clean itself (as hard as I wish) one pan wonders are the best.

When making one pan dishes you want to make sure that everything cooks evenly and that it's all done at the same time. Otherwise, you'll have to remove the done items from your pan and stick it back in the oven to continue cooking whatever isn't cooked. Not the end of the world, but why make more work for yourself than you have to. Also, whatever you take out will be sitting there getting cold without efforts on your part to keep it warm while it's waiting for its roasting compadres. Again, more work.



In this dish, the Italian sausages need about 40 minutes to roast. Taking that into account I quarter my onion leaving it in huge chunks so they don't burn while the sausages are get'n done.



Same with the bell peppers. They should be quartered or cut into really big chunks so they don't end up mushy (unless you like mushy). The pepper pieces pictured here could have been a little bigger.



I let the sausages roast for 30 minutes, then turn them and roast another 10 minutes. Perfection.

On a side note, if you aren't trying to eat low carb, go ahead and scoop this dish into beautifully toasted and buttered hoagie rolls, top with provolone cheese, and melt under the broiler for 2 minutes or so. 😉

Sheet Pan Italian Sausages & Peppers

INGREDIENTS

2 19 oz packages Italian sausages

3 large bell peppers

1 large red onion

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil to coat

olive oil spray

foil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Line a large baking sheet with foil for easy clean up and spray with oil spray.

3. Quarter bell peppers. Toss in a medium bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss to coat and dump onto your baking sheet.

4. Nestle the sausages into the baking pan as well.

5. Spray your onion chunks with olive oil on both sides and salt and pepper them. Nestle them gently onto your pan so that each chunk stays together.

6. Roast for 30 minutes. Then flip sausages over and roast another 10 minutes.

What's for Dinner? Low Carb Turkey Meatloaf

I know it may not seem like it with all the cupcake recipes I post, but Matthew and I really are on a lower carb diet. I say lower carb because we still eat certain carbs, like potatoes and gluten free pasta. Matthew's down 10 pounds and I'm almost down 20, so we're doing something right. My next challenge is lowering our whole family's sugar intake. More on that later.

When you're trying to get a good shot and even use a pretty bowl and your egg runs off to the side. Arg.

Meatloaf is pretty easy to make low carb - it's mostly ground meat after all. This turkey meatloaf recipe originally called for bread crumbs. I used a seasoned almond meal mixture that I use for "breading" chicken and fish. It worked out terrific.

I served our low carb meatloaf with roasted potatoes and carrots. We can't kick all carbs to the curb.

Low Carb Turkey Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup seasoned almond meal (see recipe below)

1 cup chopped spinach

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/8 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 large eggs

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup ketchup

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil spray.

3. Combine all ingredients, except ketchup, in a large bowl and hand mix. Form into a loaf and place on your baking sheet.

4. Bake for 25 minutes.

5. Coat top and sides with ketchup and bake another 10 minutes.

Seasoned Almond Meal

(Original recipe from Paleo Running Momma)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 scant tsp basil

1 scant tsp oregano

1/8 tsp thyme, crushed

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTION

1. Stir all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container. 

* I use this recipe in place of Italian bread crumbs.