Low(er) carb chili

On a cold, grey winter day in Kansas, sitting down to a bowl of chili for dinner just feels right. But now that we're trying to lower our carb intake, I needed to rework our favorite chili recipe.

My approach to low carb would more accurately be called "balanced carb." I try (try!) to make sure every meal and every snack has a balance between carbs and proteins. (Did you know that going super-low carb or no carb for too long can mess up your serotonin? Not a good thing, if you have issues with insomnia, depression, etc.)

Most chili recipes have more carbs than protein: some by a small margin, some by a lot. The most popular chili recipe on AllRecipes has almost twice as much carbs as protein -- 55g and 31g, respectively. So I set out to see where I could cut out carbs and maybe even sneak in some more protein.

First of all, the beans. Beans are carbs, but most experts consider them healthy carbs. So I kept them in, but cut them back to half a can. A little label-reading taught me that the kind of beans I use can help, too. Look at these labels for red kidney beans -- the traditional chili bean -- and black beans; check out the ingredient list...

Yep, that's right: the red beans contain sugar and dextrose (a sneaky way for the manufacturer to avoid listing sugar higher in the list of ingredients), the black beans don't. Plus, the black beans have about 50% more iron than the red ones. So there's an easy switch.

Here's another one: instead of just using tomato sauce and/or diced tomatoes for the liquid, I used a small can of tomato paste (checking to make sure there's no sugar hiding in there), and used beef stock for the rest of the liquid. The stock brings a bit of protein to the party, plus I like the flavor it adds.

Other healthy-choice change-ups: I added a bit of red bell pepper to bring some fiber and vitamin C, and used turkey sausage instead of hamburger. Mostly for the flavor. And I actually prefer turkey sausage to pork. I just like the leaner flavor. If you don't, feel free to sub your favorite pork sausage.

I added up all the carbs and protein in my revised dish, using the label info and this handy resource, and guess what! This chili actually has more protein than carbs. 22g of carbs, 25.5 g of protein.

Now if only I could figure out a lower carb cornbread. I haven't tried it, but here's a recipe for flourless cornbread. Good if you're living gluten-free. (Still has corn and cornmeal, though.)

Until then, there's chili...

Lower Carb Chili
3-4 servings (can easily be doubled)

spices:
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano
3/4 t. ground ancho chili pepper
1/4 t. salt  or 1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
---
1 T. olive oil
1/2 large onion
1/2 red bell pepper
2-3 cloves garlic
1 lb. turkey Italian sausage
1.5 c. beef stock
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste, no sugar added
1/2  can beans, no sugar added: kidney, black, pinto, or a mix; rinsed and drained
optional: sour cream, Greek yogurt, shredded cheese, green onion for garnish

Mix the spices together and set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat in 4-quart pot. (Larger, if you're doubling the recipe.) Chop the onion into about 1/2" pieces and add it to the pot. Chop the bell pepper into about 1/4" pieces; I cut it into long pieces one way then turn the cutting board 90 degrees and chop them the other way. Add the peppers to the pot, then mince garlic and add it.

Once the onions are translucent and the peppers are fairly tender, push them aside and put the sausage in the center.

I like to let the first side sit there till it's nicely browned, then turn the whole thing over. Then as the second side cooks, stir and chop it to break it up. Cook, stirring occasionally, till no more pink shows. Once the sausage is browned, drain most of the fat from the pan.

Return the pan to the heat and add all of the spices. Stir until sausage is well coated with spices; simmer one minute more. Add in the broth and tomato paste and stir till well combined. Turn heat to med-high. Once it comes to a boil, add the beans and turn it down to a simmer.

Cover partially and simmer for 20 minutes to 2 hours. If it gets too thick, add broth. Just before serving, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), shredded cheese, and green onions, if desired.

Recipe Roundup: Three by PW

So, you've heard of Pioneer Woman, right? Apart from having an entertaining writing style, fabulous photography, and thorough, encouraging instructions, her food is really, really good. Or, as my husband says, "The girl can cook!"

Here are three of her recipes we love. All photographs are hers. (The title of each section below is the link to the original recipe.)

Crash Hot Potatoes
I think this is the recipe that was my portal into PW's blog. I can't remember why I was looking for a potato recipe, but this one caught my eye. Red potatoes are boiled till tender, then coarsely smashed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper, then baked briefly at high heat so they come out golden brown and crunchy around the edges. Hungry yet?

The thing that makes or breaks this dish is getting the salt right. I was a little too shy with the salt the first time; a mistake I won't make again.

By the way... Did you know that new (aka, red) potatoes are lower on the glycemic index than baking potatoes? And that boiling them keeps them lower than baking? Boiled new potatoes rank in the mid-50's; baked potatoes, 85.

Quesadilla de Camarones
This was our second PW dish.  Shrimp are briefly marinated in a fiery off-the-shelf sauce, then given a quick, hot saute, along with some peppers and onions. Put it all between two tortillas and slap 'em back in the pan till everything is toasty.

If you want to be healthy, use whole-wheat tortillas. If you really want to go hardcore PW, make her from-scratch tortillas. (How does that woman stay thin?) I have to confess: I don't make homemade tortillas -- but my dear daughter does, and I have to say, they rock! No comparison to grocery store tortillas. None! But here's a handy compromise: go by a local Mexican restaurant (not a chain) and get some tortillas to go.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
This is frequently a birthday entree in our house. Not because it's difficult to make -- it's not. But you really don't get the full wham! of the dish unless you have some crusty French bread (or crescent rolls) to sop up the garlicky, slightly spicy, melty butter that the shrimp is swimming in after it comes out of the oven. And now that we're low carbers, white bread is a once-in-a-while treat. But this stuff is SO worth it!

The other thing that makes this party food is that it's roll-up-your-sleeves, dig-in-and-eat-with-your-hands kind of food. And after that, a lick-your-fingers kind of food. Yeah, you'll want every drop!

Kitchen tips: Stuff to keep handy by the stove

Today I'm going to share a couple things I love that make everyday cooking just a little easier.

I've always kept all the most-frequently-used cooking tools close at hand in one large canister right by the stove. That's handy, but as we collected more gadgets it got more stuffed, to the point where you couldn't pull out one item without bringing one or two others with it. Not a major problem in the big picture, but just a little daily irritation.

So, a few weeks ago, I went through the utensils and narrowed them down to the ones that really get used weekly to daily. There were still quite a few, so I got two canisters of different heights and sorted the tools out by height. It's a small change, but it makes it so much easier to find the exact thing I'm after, and pull it out quickly and cleanly.

Then a few days ago I had an ah-ha: I use my measuring spoons every single day, but I've always kept them in a drawer with other gadgets. Why not keep them out in the open by the stove, too? So I hunted in a local flea market for something tall enough to hold my measuring spoons, short enough so I can read the measurements stamped on them, and hefty enough to not tip over easily. I found this cute little ironstone pitcher for six bucks -- score! It's just perfect.

By the way, one of the things that makes every day cooking a little easier is these rectangular stainless steel measuring spoons. What I love most about them is that because they're so long and narrow, they fit in just about any spice jar! I also like the fact that the rectangular shape makes it easy to eyeball a partial spoonful if, for example, you need a 1/2 teaspoon, but that spoon and the 1/4 teaspoon are in the dishwasher. Just grab the full teaspoon and guesstimate it.

I actually have two sets, so there's (almost) always one clean in any size I need. I also like that the set includes a 3/4 teaspoon and a 1/8 teaspoon. You might balk at spending $12 - 14 on a set of measuring spoons, but not only will you use them every day, but these things will last for generations -- literally. So that really makes it pennies per use.

Where I got the stuff:
The red canisters: Target (they came with lids, but I don't use them)
The ironstone pictcher: A Legacy Antique Mall, Wichita KS
The measuring spoons: I don't remember, but you can pick up a set (or two) at my Amazon shop.