Using Stocked Red (Tomato) Sauce: Chili con Carne

Heres's one way to turn your stocked Italian red (tomato) sauce into a hearty & warming, Tex-Mex style chili. Can be served by itself with some tortilla chips or bread. You can also use it for tacos, Chili Nachos, or filling for quesadilla. Great stocking food during cold winter.

Chili con Carne

• 1lb ground meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chpped
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups red (tomato) sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, drained 
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 cup beef broth (or chicken broth, or water)

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makes about 6 servings

1.  In a saucepan or Dutch oven (I use Le Creuset pot), cook garlic and onion till they turn golden and fragrant, add jalapeño and bell pepper, continue over medium heat-high heat. Once they are soft, add ground meat.
2. Add all of dried ingredients (chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, cumin, cocoa powder, and bay leaves), stir occasionally and brown the meat.
3. Stir in Tomato (red) sauce, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in beans. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until desired thickness.

Note: Adjust the amount of broth or water, depending on the thickness of your tomato (red) sauce.

Chili Nachos

A quick snack/appetizer using the left-over chili con carne, pico de gallo, and guacamole. It was a super-bowl dinner request from my husband. I like a dash or two of some hot sauce (such as tabasco) to spice up a notch.

Chili Nachos

• 2 cups prepared chili con carne
• 1/2 bag of tortilla chips
• 1-2 cups shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla, or cheddar

Garnish options:
sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, chopped scallion, pickled jalapeño, cilantro, etc...

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makes 2-3 servings

1. Set oven to 400°F.
2. Heat the chili in a small saucepan or microwave until hot.
3. Spread half of the tortilla chips on the bottom of a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.
4. Spread half of the chili over the chips.
5. Sprinkle with half of the cheese.
6. Repeat with remaining chips, chili and cheese.
7. Bake for about 7-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
8. Top with the garnish of your choice.
9. Serve immediately.

Pico de Gallo (salsa fresca) and Guacamole

Healthy snack, great as a party appetizer. I make the two dippings together, since they use similar ingredients.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 packs of grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-2 lime, juiced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• a cup of cilantro
• salt and pepper
• white vinegar

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makes 4-5 servings

1. Finely chop all vegetables. Keep them in separate containers. Strain chopped tomatoes and remove excess liquid. You can reserve the tomato liquid to make  a healthy cocktail-drink later.
2. In a bowl, combine all vegetables, season with lime juice, white vinegar, salt and pepper.
3. Adjust flavor to your taste by adding onion, jalapeño and cilantro, little by little. Same with the seasonings.

Guacamole

• 2 Avocados
• pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt
• a pinch of ground cayenne pepper and cumin

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makes 4-6 servings

1. In a bowl, mash halved avocados, add lime juice, pico de gallo, and garlic, mix together.
2. Season with salt, cayenne pepper and cumin.
3. Adjust flavor by adding remained vegetables from pico de gallo recipe.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve chilled.

Note: The amount of ingredients are just a guide. Just chop a bunch, keep them in a separate container, add each ingredient gradually, taste, then reach to your best flavor.