Renee's Tailgating Chili

Beef chili is typically a cold weather recipe, and with the snow hitting this weekend in early October, we're feeling so ready to warm up with this satisfyingly healthy comfort food. I recently made Beef Chili Carnivale and I just have one word to describe this dish, DELICIOUS! The key to making a successful and more flavorful chili is to choose fresh ingredients that will spice up your beef.  

Beyond traditional seasonings like salt, pepper and cumin, I always dice up about a quarter of a fresh jalapeno pepper and add fresh lime juice, red peppers, onions and, of course, work with a tomato-based sauce. Choosing a ground beef that fits into your diet is also important. 

For example, my personal preference is to work with an 80/20 ground beef, due to the higher fat content and more flavor. However, if you are following a strict diet and want something very low in fat, choose a lean ground beef with a 92/8 ratio. Either way, this beef chili recipe will taste great once you add all of the extra seasonings and fresh ingredients. One of the best things about making a big pot of beef chili is that you have a ton of leftovers. If you are a busy working professional like myself or have a family, chili is great to batch cook, freeze, and then thaw out for an easy weeknight meal! 

As a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), one of the common questions I receive is, "how do I properly freeze and thaw home-cooked food like chili?"  The answer lies in understanding and practicing proper food safety skills. For example, after I batch cook chili, I like to let it cool down and transfer it to pre-portioned Tupperware containers that can easily stack up in your freezer.  Transferring hot chili from your cooking pot to individual containers will speed up the cooling process.  Ideally, you should get your chili down to a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit before you put it in the freezer.  It is also a good idea to label your Tupperware containers, with the name of the dish and the date and time that you made it. When you are ready to thaw your chili for an easy weeknight meal, you should leave it on the bottom shelf of your fridge or thaw it in your microwave.  

Unfortunately, most of us don’t know any better and leave previously frozen items on our countertop, but this is a big No NO.  Leaving items out on the countertop for too long can encourage bacteria to grow, and can increase your risk for a foodborne illness. Have you ever heard of the term “Temperature Danger Zone?"  The temperature danger zone is between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that hot food should be held above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold food should be held under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. For anyone really interested in proper food safety, I encourage you to become ServSafe-Certified! 

Finally, the key to reheating any previously frozen dish is to bring it back up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bringing a previously frozen dish back up to this temperature ensures that you will enjoy a safe, yet nutritious meal.  

Last, but certainly not least, is the nutrition. One 3-ounce serving of this beef chili provides 318 calories, 32 grams of high-quality protein and 6.4 milligrams of iron (a nutrient that is so important in preventing a common problem in women called iron deficiency).  With this dish coming in at under 400 calories, you have some wiggle room to enjoy some tortilla chips. I personally like blue corn tortilla chips with this dish and a squeeze of lime, but to each their own! Here's the full link to Beef Chili Carnivale!