I have made so many chili recipes in my lifetime, I no longer count. Certainly I make it for Super Bowl, but making chili goes way back for me. I made it growing up in Colorado to have on hand while on a ski trip with friends—at the cabin where my books takes place. Fond memories of coming home from a cold day of exhausted exertion with friends, and warming up with hot chili.
Because I’ve made so stinkin’ many various recipes in my lifetime—and thankfully there are thousands out there to choose from—I have made up my own to add to the cacophony of chili choices.
I always want to add a prepping aspect to my recipes. For sure, feel free to try this recipe out with dried or freeze-dried bell peppers, onions and ground beef. I’ve made chili with dried bell peppers and onions and have tasted no difference.
Another variation I want to try soon, is to use TVP in place of the ground beef. TVP is texturized vegetable protein and is a great alternative to ground beef in recipes just like chili where the primary flavor is not the beef but everything else. I mainly want to try that soon because TVP is great for prepping. It vacuum seals well and is extremely good for you. It’s a soy based product, if I recall. Good protein.
How to get TVP for cheap? Looks for it at your local bulk foods section. I get it at WinCo in the Pacific NW.
A note on WinCo. It’s not health food store bulk food section. Translation—it’s not crazy expensive. In fact, WinCo bulk food saves money. It’s your “single mom on a budget” bulk food section. If you haven’t checked it out for basic food staples, try it. Also, at least in my area, WinCo has added a prepping section near their bulk foods. Yep! Buckets with gamma lids, moisture absorbing packs, etc. I’ve also found they sometimes have actual military MRE’s in their bulk section in a big bin. It’s a cool place to check out. You can get a lot of TVP there, or just a little to try it out.
For anyone who tries a fun, prepping variation on any of my recipes, send me feedback. I’d love to hear them and maybe share them. For sure, if someone tries this with ground deer meat, I’d love to hear!
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (or red or yellow pepper)
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
2 fifteen ounce cans of kidney beans, drained
1 fifteen ounce can of tomato sauce
1 fifteen ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 twelve ounce can of tomato paste
2 T chili powder
1 tsp hot chipotle powder (adjust this to your taste, I like kick)
1 ½ C broth, beer or water
Brown the ground beef, drain. Add the onions, garlic and green peppers to the skillet to brown a bit. Throw everything altogether in a pot. Let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the tomato paste has caused the chili to thicken a bit.
Enjoy!
