So tonight I decided to try and make Cooking Light's Green Chile Chili...sure I was intrigued by the name and it was seriously the coldest day of the year...well for So Cal anyway... so I thought chili would be the perfect comfort food. However, since the recipe called for a beer I also thought I needed to drink a beer while I cooked. Ya know one for the chili and one for me. That is the deal, right?  And after my cooking experience/dinner I thought to myself, hey great choice picking a Cooking Light recipe but if you drink a beer while you are cooking does it cancel out the Cooking Light benefits? After much thought I decided,"no because the happiness factor wins." The beer made me happy, the chili made me happy and happiness is healthy...add that to Cooking Light chili and its a win/win.




So I do have to say that I don't really understand the name of this recipe. Yes, there are green chilies in this recipe, but it is the farthest thing from green known to man. So I probably wouldn't have named this Green Chile Chili...but just my opinion. The recipe called for a tablespoon of chili powder and I decided to use chipotle chili powder and let me just say it did add a little extra kick, but it also added a nice smoky flavor to the chili.

This recipe also calls for ground sirloin, which worked fine, but I love chili that has big 'ol chunks of meat in it so my next chili will definitely have a more meaty texture. I am also not a huge fan of canned kidney beans in chili and in this recipe they did work ok but they do seem to always maintain a sort of grainy texture in my opinion. I also tend to like my chili with a little more of a soup/stew texture and this was definitely more just packed full of stuff. However, after enough beer all can be forgiven. I guess what I am really trying to say is this chili was ok...it had great spicy, smoky flavors and I did like the spice with the smoked cheese. I also enjoyed it with the cold beer, but I would never make this dish again if I was being completely honest.

But here are a few random chili facts just so all is not wasted by reading my blog:

• Did you know there is an International Chili Society? www.chilicookoff.com
• Chiles are made hot from a substance called capsaicin, which is located on the inside of the pepper. 
• Eating dairy products like milk are the fastest way to cool off your mouth after spicy chili or chiles.
• The mildest pepper is the bell pepper
• Chiles are high in vitamin A and C and are supposedly helpful in lowering blood pressure
• The first reference to chili peppers is in 7000BC in Mexico

Here is the recipe in case you want to try it yourself or put your own spin on it:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 12 ounces ground sirloin $
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion $
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer $
• 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, undrained
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and crushed
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, rinsed and drained $
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp cheddar cheese $
• 1 green onion, sliced

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add beef; sauté for 5 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring to crumble. Add chopped onion, chili powder, and paprika; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. 2. Stir in beer; bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add salsa and the next 3 ingredients (through beans); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle 1 1/4 cups chili into each of 4 bowls, and top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Sprinkle with green onion.

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