Mole-Spiced Chili

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Mole-Spiced Chili

At first glance, chili may not seam like such a lean or well-balanced meal, but it very well can be. The beans in this chili are a great source of complex carbohydrate and vegetarian protein. Stew beef is a lean source of red meat, and other than that, the chili contains mostly tomatoes and broth.

Chili is one of my favorite soups as it is appropriate during the summer (think chili cook off’s), fall, and winter. Many people think of chili as an all American food, but in my mind it belongs to Mexico – requiring Mexican spice. This recipe calls for red beans, which are smaller and have a less intense flavor than kidney beans, but if you can not easily find red beans, kidneys will do just fine.

Ingredients: 

1 lb extra lean stew meat, cut into one-inch cubes
olive oil
salt and pepper

1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz can hominy
½ cup fresh cilantro
2 T mole sauce, such as Dona Maria
2 T chili powder
cayenne to taste
2 T tomato paste
2 15oz cans red beans
2 15oz cans black beans
1 28oz cans whole tomatoes with juice
4 cups low-sodium beef broth

Instructions: 

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes to 1 hour

Serves 4-6

To start, trim any extra fat from the meat, then cut it into one-inch cubes. Sauté the meat in two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Once browned, with a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pot and set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Chop one red onion and three cloves of garlic and sauté over medium heat in the remaining meat juices for about four minutes. Add the fresh chopped cilantro, and sauté about one minute. Add in the hominy, two tablespoons mole sauce, tomato paste, black beans, red beans, whole tomatoes, beef broth and water. Then add the chili powder and cayenne, and return the meat to the soup. Let simmer for at least one half hour, but ideally closer to an hour, until the meat is very tender. If desired, crush the tomatoes with a slotted spoon before serving.