Chili...the best I've ever made

Chili is one of my all time favorite fall and winter meals. It makes a warm and comforting supper and rolls over nicely to make delicious and filling lunches for days to come. I've never actually followed a recipe for chili and so it always turned out differently. Some batches were good and others were not. What I wanted was one recipe that I could use to consistently make good chili. I was sick of winging it and have my craving for warm comfort unsatisfied because my pot of chili turned out to be a flop. So, I did my research. I wanted a hearty and meaty chili that wasn't overly spicy and wasn't too watery.

I found my inspiration over at Brown Eyed Baker. One of her chili recipes fit the bill perfectly and I made one small modification to better suit our tastes. This is a great recipe. It is thick and hearty and has amazing flavor. You can adjust the spices to suit your own tastes. Serve this up with some shredded cheddar cheese on top and a slice of cornbread and you are in business. As the weather continues to cool down and the snow begins to fly, I know this recipe will be gracing our table frequently.

Chili
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yields: 11 cups
1 cup = 6 POINTS+

2 lbs. lean ground beef (93/7)
1 - 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 15 oz. can Bush's Chili Beans with Sauce (I used mild)
2 - 15 oz. cans Pinto beans, undrained
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
2 c. water

In a large pot, brown beef and break into crumbles over medium heat. Drain off fat.

To beef, add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over low to medium low heat.

Simmer partially covered for 2-3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

I should make a note that I'll be making some healthy changes to my food blog. Don't get me wrong, I'll still post yummy cakes and cookies...but all my recipes from here on out will include Weight Watchers POINTS values and serving size. I'll also start making updates to previous posts to include the Weight Watchers POINTS values. We still live Simply Delicious Lives without added calories and fat. I've been doing Weight Watchers the Simply Delicious Living way for about 7 weeks now without feeling deprived at all and I'm 13 pounds lighter already!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I know it is spring and soup whether is no longer upon us, but crack a window and let the cool night air in and give this one a try. One of my favorite soups in the whole world is Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I've been on a quest to find the best recipe to make it at home. This is it! It is perfectly creamy and full of flavor. It reheats well and actually is quite thick and less soup like when you eat it the next day. This soup will send you into soup nirvana. Your head will be spinning with sweet carrots, tender rice and moist chicken all perfectly mingled a bowl of soul warming goodness.

The recipe uses fat free half-and-half, but don't be fooled by the non-fat dairy. This is still wonderful and creamy. The fat free half-and-half has a sweetness to it. If you don't want the sweetness, you could use full fat half-and-half mixed with some milk to thin it down a little.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ – 1 cup frozen corn (or ½ cup chopped celery, if preferred)
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 ½ cups chicken broth (can use 7 bouillon cubes plus 6 ½ cups water)
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups nonfat half-and-half

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won’t thicken properly – let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.