Recently, I have been having an internal debate with myself over the best way to try and lose weight…
- Cut down on my booze consumption?
- Eat healthier?
- Exercise?
Yeah, yeah, I know, if I want to lose weight I need to do all of the above. And in some ways, I am.
- I have been doing a reasonably good job of meeting my goal of no booze 3 nights a week (this is an improvement, I promise).
- I have been trying out recipes from crazy diets such as Paleo (which allows you to eat bacon, so it’s been more successful than I first anticipated).
- I have been doing a lot of hiking, and have promised myself I’ll start back at yoga next week.
And then I go and eat a 1/2 pound western cheeseburger and chili cheese fries from Burgermeister, and wash it down with 3 beers. On a Wednesday night. Ooooops. Ok, so I still have a long way to go.
One of the goals of my healthy eating campaign, its to find ways to make greens taste good. I love vegetables, but I am not a big fan of those leafy green vegetables that taste like you just licked a piece of metal – collard greens, kale, chard etc. But they are good for you, so I have been working on eating them!
Last night I made a kale & broccoli coleslaw to go with some grilled turkey burgers. Neither of which i fell in love with, so I cant be bothered to write about them. Tonight, with the leftover kale (because you only seem to be able to purchase enormous quantities of the stuff!) I decided to do something more in my comfort zone – chili.
My standard response to things that don’t taste good – mask it with another flavour. I blame my Mother for this trait as she used to disguise our food as kids when she used an ingredient that she knew we didn’t like. But it is a trick that has done me well over the years. And after tonight’s dinner, I actually feel full, and not like raiding my roommates cupboards for chocolate. Success!
Chorizo, Kale & Cannellini Bean Chili
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 pound pork chorizo
- 5 leaves of kale, stemmed and chopped into ribbons
- 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained
- 1 tin petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- fresh cilantro for sprinkling on top
METHOD
- Sautee onions in olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until soft.
- Stir in chorizo and garlic and keep stirring until chorizo starts to separate and turns the onions a delicious shade of orange.
- Add in the chopped kale, beans and tomatoes; stir.
- Pour in the chicken stock and spices; stir.
- Place the lid on the pan and simmer over a medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes, stirring intermittently.
- Serve with a sprinkling of cilantro if you wish!
epicuriousbrit 