Lighter Beef Chili Recipes

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
• Add the jalapeno and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until coated and fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the beef broth and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the cooked ground beef and any accumulated liquid, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the chili, partially covered, until the beef is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in the beans and their liquid and simmer uncovered until the beans are softened and the chili is thickened, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Top with sour cream, Cheddar and scallions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Steps:

• Put the meat in the freezer 25-30 mins before you plan to start cooking. This will firm it up a bit and make it easier to slice really thinly.
• Meanwhile, remove the core and seeds from the pepper and cut it into very thin strips. Slice the spring onions diagonally and slice the broccoli spears in half or quarters through the stems and florets. Thinly slice the pak choi. Mix together the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Set aside.
• Slice the beef into very thin strips. In a bowl, beat the egg white with a fork to make it slightly frothy, then stir in the beef with the five-spice powder, cornflour, flour and a good grinding of pepper so everything is evenly coated. Pour 1 tbsp of the oil into a non-stick wok or frying pan. When it's very hot (test if ready by dropping a small piece of beef in - it should immediately sizzle), put the beef in, stirring to separate, and stir-fry for 3-4 mins. remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Steam the broccoli spears for 11⁄2 mins, then sit the pak choi on top and steam for another 45 secs-1 min until both are tender-crisp. Remove and cool under running cold water so that they stop cooking and retain their colour. Set aside.
• Pour the remaining oil into the wok and heat it again until very hot. Throw in the garlic, ginger, red pepper and spring onions, and stir-fry for 2-3 mins until starting to brown. Add the chilli flakes, then pour in the soy sauce and orange juice mix with 4-5 tbsp water. As it comes to the boil, stir in the beef and steamed veg, and cook briefly just to heat through. If you want a little more sauciness, splash in another 1-2 tbsp water.

Steps:

• Cook ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook and stir until the pepper and onion have softened, about 5 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Add corn, kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, water, brown sugar, chili seasoning mix, and mustard to the pot. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to low, and cook until beans are tender, about 20 minutes more.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion, bell pepper, Anaheim pepper, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in the hot oil until softened.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; add Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Crumble bouillon cubes over beef and add beer. Continue to cook , scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until liquid is hot, about 3 minutes. Stir beef mixture into pepper mixture.
• Stir crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and wine to the beef mixture. Season with chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, brown sugar, pepper sauce, basil, paprika, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are very tender and flavors have developed in the chili, about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Mix kidney beans into beef and vegetables. Continue to simmer until beans are hot, about 30 minutes more.
• Blend sour cream, cilantro, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin in a food processor until smooth. Serve sour cream mixture with chili.