Can you say that fast three times? Come on… give it a try. Hearty Heart Healthy Chili. Hearty Heart… OK, I’m done. Failure is humiliating so I’m quitting now.
That was the silly portion of today’s program. Now let’s move on to the “I love my mommy” portion. It’s my mommy’s birthday today. Ya’ll give a shout out to Mom!
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear mommy. Happy birthday to you. (I only sing in writing. Trust me. It’s better this way.)
Mom, thanks for not throwing me out of the kitchen when I tried to defrost mystery meat that I found in the freezer by running it under hot water. Thanks for letting me play with your leftover pie dough and for sprinkling my creations with cinnamon sugar and baking them when I was finished. Thanks for making memories in the kitchen with me… the good, the bad, and the downright messy! I love them all.
In honor of your birthday I am not making anything that you especially like. (What kind of daughter am I?) I am, however, making one of Granddaddy’s favorites. I tweaked his chili recipe to make it a little more heart-healthy. I don’t think he would mind 
Ya’ll hunker down in front of a fire (or space heater); wrap your hands around a bowl of this hearty chili and ponder happy memories… or kitchen bloopers. They’re fun too.
Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!
Hearty Heart-Healthy Chili
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef or turkey
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
- 2 14.5 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes (no salt added)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 15.5 ounce cans red kidney beans, drained
- 2 teaspoons honey
Note: If you like your chili hot, feel free to heat it up with a chopped, seeded jalapeno… or two. Whatever floats your boat. Or singes your tonsils.
In a large stockpot, brown meat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve topped with 1-2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheese and 1 heaping tablespoon lowfat Greek yogurt (no sugar added) or fat-free or lowfat sour cream. Throw on some sliced green onions for color if you got ‘em.
Did I mention it was my mom’s birthday? Just checking. It’s important to honor your mother. Besides, I’m pretty sure she can still put me in time out.
Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
What a sweet daughter you are
Happy Birthday LeAnn’s Mom! I hope you have a wonderful day! And thank you for having her! She blesses me with every blog post – you have enriched my life!
Yogurt on chili – really?
LeAnn, this looks delicious!!! We may just have to have chili for dinner tonight! lol
Happy Birthday LeAnn’s Mom! May the Lord bless you abundantly for doing such a wonderful job raising this amazing daughter of yours! I hope you both have a blessed day!
Thank you for the recipe and Happy Birthday to your sweet Mom!!
Yum! I will put this one on my to try list. We have a saying for birthdays at our church…
“Many happy returns from the day of thy birth,
may sunshine and gladness be given.
And may the Dear Father prepare us on earth
for a more beautiful birthday in heaven.”
Happy Birthday LeAnn’s momma!!
Happy Birthday to your Mom!!
You must have read my mind — I just bought the ingredients for chili last night before coming home from work. My family doesn’t like “chunks” of tomato in there chili, so I have to go the tomato juice route and add a can of tomato sauce (or sometimes paste) to thicken it up a bit. Along with the kidney beans, I also add a can of black beans and a can of corn. There are a million ways to make chili. I’d be interested in hearing anyone else’s strange additions to their pots! It’s certainly “chili weather” here in northern Illinois. Should taste good this week!! KK
What a wonderful surprise for my birthday! I do love chili and have also tweaked Granddaddy’s original recipe. Maybe not as “heart healthy” but delicious. I add some ground Italian sausage and some red wine. I will now try your revisions. I loved all the things you said about growing up in the kitchen. If I had only known how much you gleaned from those moments, I would have turned the kitchen over to you. You are my star!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LeAnn’s Mom…I pray God’s special blessings on your very special day.
LeAnn…the recipe looks great–thank you…
This recipe looks great. Can’t wait to try it. Is it possible to get the nutrition value for this and other recipes? I’m a member of sparkpeople as well an avid Made to Crave follower and really could use the info.
Thank you
Deborah
LeAnn, do you ever put canned pumpkin in your chili? I had a recipe from Woman’s Day or Family Circle that was a veggie chili with a can of pumpkin…so rich and yummy and full of fiber and good stuff. You may want to try it. If you want the recipe I can send it or I am sure you can come up with your own!!
Love the chili LeAnn! I made it for my family on this snowy Wednesday. My son is home from school and my husband is home from work. It was a great lunch!
LeAnn, thanks for the recipe. I do love chilli and this one looks great. Happy Birthday to your mother. God Bless those mom’s! Be good to her and fix her a lot of healthy stuff. Got to keep her around for a long time. I lost my mom in 2006 and I miss her sooooo much and her cooking. Thanks again and have a blessed day!!!! Loving all your recipes!!!