Oh my word, I LOVE CHILI. I love it. I love it so much. I have been craving that spicy, sweet, meaty and savory stew-stuff pretty intensely recently. Too bad the weather isn’t exactly “chili weather,” but honestly, I don’t care.
There’s just something so absolutely delicious about this Texas favorite, and I could NOT for the life of me get it off my mind. I had to make some. My version was SO good, but if I’m being honest, I can’t tell you exactly how I made it. It’s not because it’s a secret… It’s just because there’s no way to know what’s actually in it… I just kept throwing stuff in, including beans. Blame it on the fact that I’m a Yankee and we like beans up north. #Sorrynotsorry.
So, instead of giving you my non-existent recipe, I figured, what better way to get some of the best, most delicious, creative and fun recipes for the comforting classic, than to do a blogger round up? There’s not a better way. That wasn’t a trick question. Here are 8 of the most mouth-watering chili recipes from some fellow Austin food bloggers.
[ONE]
Lisa Rawlinson from the mouth-watering Austin-based food blog, Full and Content, has an excellent take on a classic Texas Red Chili recipe. No beans, plenty of meat, and overflowing with flavor. Just add a side of fresh corn bread, and you’ve got yourself something traditional and yummy, yummy! Click here to grab the recipe.
[TWO]
If long cook times are something that you despise, and something RIGHT NOW is what you’re after, then Forks Up blog’s Quick Chili will be right up your alley. In only 30 minutes, you’ll have a bowl of hearty, warm and comforting wonderfulness, ready to take you on a trip to flavortown. Click here for the recipe!
[THREE]
Over at MadSweetWorld, you can find a homemade spin on a pre-packaged version of scrumptious, meaty chili, using longhorn meat: (Not Wick Fowler’s) Chili.
“But one day, I got a wild hair and decided to measure all those spices to see exactly what was going in my chili,” explains the blogger. “[I] wrote everything down carefully and then bought all the spices I needed at the grocery store. Turns out, the chili I made myself tasted exactly like what I made with the kits. And because I now knew the spices that went into the chili, I could start tweaking them to suit my whims.”
The finished product is one of luscious and savory delight. Click here for the recipe!
[FOUR]
Vegetarian Chili? Yes. Vegetarian Chili. Kay from ATX Food News has just the recipe for you. She, like me, was hankering for some tasty chili, but being a part time veggie, she didn’t know what to do!
“When the cooler temps hit Austin, I started jonesing for chili, but worried about how I’d manage a vegetarian version that would be rich, comforting and so delicious that my meat & potatoes husband wouldn’t mind eating it.”
This version contains something called tempeh, a fermented soy product that’s often used as a meat substitute that closely resembles the texture of ground beef. Interesting… How’d the chili taste?
“The chili was amazing. AH-MAZING! My husband was two spoonfuls in when he looked at me in astonishment and said ‘This is good. This is very, very good.’ I can’t promise that this recipe will satiate all meat eaters, but for my picky husband to be happily eating tempeh chili is nothing short of miraculous.” Test it out yourself!
[FIVE]
Emily from A Time to Kale has a very interesting and unique take on chili. With ingredients like steak and sweet potatoes, this is NOT your momma’s chili, that’s for sure. Her Smoky Southwestern Steak & Sweet Potato Chili, while not conventional, is inventive, new and original.
“My favorite chili recipe is one I created incorporating all of my favorite fall tastes. It’s hearty and comforting, yet very healthy and simple to make. It incorporates a smoky southwestern flair, thanks to the addition of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It uses steak instead of ground beef, black beans and corn instead of kidney beans, pumpkin to add richness and bulk… basically, this is not your average chili and that’s why I like it.”
And that’s why I like it too. Try something new and ring in the fall with a smash hit. Click here for the recipe!
[SIX]
The Paleo Review, a local blog, partnered with Registered Dietitian Amy Kubal to created a Slow Cooker Paleo Chili bursting with flavor as far as the east is from the west.
“Amy’s original instructions say that “this is how chili should smell.” Well, it is how it should taste as well. The preparatory browning of the meat and sauteing of the vegetables may seem tedious for a slow cooker recipe, but I think it deepens the end flavor and really isn’t that big of a hassle. The toasting of the chili powder while browning the cubed meat takes this chili recipe to another level.”
Click here to check this recipe out!
[SEVEN]
Mad Betty, another bean lovin’ Yankee, has a recipe for chili that’ll knock your socks off. My mouth is watering just reading the ingredients list! Not only does the chili sound delightful, but she’s got a recipe for some cornbread flapjacks that pair perfectly with a piping hot bowl of this spicy comfort.
Don’t freak out… This chili not only has beans, but it has turkey as the main protein. So lighten up your chili love with this awesome recipe. Heed Mad Betty’s warning, “And this is pretty spicy. So cut down on the chili and cayenne if you must. But know that you are ruining this whole recipe (and your life) if you make substitutions.”
Click here for this spicy turkey and bean chili!
[EIGHT]
I started this roundup with a traditional Texas red, and I’m ending it full circle with another simple, clean, and straightforward bowl of red chili from Maggie of Notes From Maggie’s Farm.
In addition to her recipe for one massive pot of chili, Miss Maggie provides us with the low-down on chili accoutrements. “Some folks are chili purists. They top their chili with nothing, and they eat there chili with a fork. Nothing else. Some folks, primarily in Southeast Texas where the culinary borders are blurred with South Louisiana, eat their chili over rice. Some folks think that’s sacrilege. Some folks eat their chili with cornbread. Some, tortillas, some, totopos, some, saltines, some, Texas toast. Seems each region has it’s own set of ‘chili rules’. Some have no issues with garnishing, and, in fact, will provide many bowls of choice. It’s your chili–I say you get to decide. Some garnishes may include: cheddar cheese, queso fresca, crumbled goat, or any, cheese, sour cream, or crema, green or yellow or white onion, chopped, cilantro, chopped, pico de gallo, salsa, sliced serrano or jalapeno peppers, lime wedges, avocado, sliced and more.”
Find the recipe here!
