Monday, February 2, 2015

Chili Baked Potatoes

For Super Bowl Sunday, I made Ted's favorite - chili baked potatoes!  Since we couldn't go anywhere all day because of the blizzard, I let the chili simmer all afternoon to make it more flavorful, and it was awesome. The longer you can let it simmer on the stove, the more flavorful it will be. But no matter what, it always tastes better the second day so leftovers for dinner tonight are not only going to be easy, but really good.


I usually just use ground grass-fed beef in our chili, but we had a ton of leftover brisket, so I cut some of that up and added, and it was a great addition. I essentially used the same general chili recipe that I always do, but tweaked it a bit for using beef instead of turkey, and used whatever leftover stock was in the fridge. You can use chicken or beef stock, and I used a combination of both to use up what was open.

Top your chili potato with your favorite fixings! We put some organic shredded cheddar on the potato, then topped it with the chili and some organic sour cream. 

Chili Baked Potatoes



Makes ~6-8 servings

Chili

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup organic red bell pepper, chopped
1 pound organic grass-fed ground beef
3/4 pound cooked beef brisket, cut into small pieces
1 (28oz) can crushed organic tomatoes with basil, undrained
1 (16oz) can organic red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup organic chicken stock
1 cup organic beef stock
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Chalula)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. 

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients

Whole organic russet potatoes
Sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Rinse potatoes with water to wet the skin and rub with sea salt. Poke a series of holes in the potatoes with a fork to let steam escape.

3. Place potatoes on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 60-75 minutes, or until soft on inside.  For softer skin, wrap potatoes in aluminum foil for baking.


What are the nutritional benefits of this meal? Compared with conventional beef, grass-fed beef is lower in total fat, higher in omega-3 fatty acids and higher in vitamins, particularly vitamin E. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C. Bell peppers are one of the best food sources of vitamins A and C. Canned tomato products contain lots of vitamin C and more bioavailable lycopene than fresh tomatoes. Kidney beans provide lots of protein, folate, fiber, and iron. Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium - and with the skin, there are even more of these nutrients, plus lots of fiber!