Chili nights

My college-aged friend Renae is dropping her meal plan this semester, as the food is, in her words, “gross”. And this from the person who worked in the food service area on campus last year. Her room is next door to the kitchen on her floor, and she has access to both a full size refrigerator and freezer. So tonight I’m making a huge batch of chili for her to take back and freeze in individual containers.

I got this recipe off of a Weight Watchers bulletin board, but it’s been around on the ‘net for a while. It is supposed to taste just like the chili at Wendy’s; I think it’s better, as it doesn’t sit and stew all day.

Chili
2 pounds lean ground beef
29 ounces tomato sauce
29 ounces kidney beans, drained and rinsed
29 ounces pinto beans with juice
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup green chiles (1 small can)
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 each tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water

Brown the ground beef, drain and rinse thoroughly under hot running water. Mix everything together in a large pot and simmer about 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring every fifteen minutes. This makes exactly 12 one-cup servings.

My personal favorite way to eat it is over a baked potato, with a little fat free cheddar cheese on top. A one-cup serving doesn’t sound like much, but it really is filling.

*Note - this was composed Saturday night, but due to Blogger's unavailability, not posted until Sunday morning.