Carrie's Colorado-style Buffalo Chili

Okay, so I've not posted in a while. It's been really crazy the last few weeks, with visiting relatives and a crushing workload at the office, so I've been remiss, I know. I can't come up with any brilliant meditative thoughts tonight, but I did come up with a great recipe for chili.

• 3 cans of beans (kidney, pinto, red or black), drained and rinsed in a collander
• 24 oz of crushed strained tomatoes (Pomi makes a great product)
• 1-2 cans of Rotel diced tomato with chiles, drained
• 1 lb of ground grass-fed/hormone-free buffalo (or lean ground beef), browned
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Fresh cilantro (to taste)
• 1 packet of Goya Sazón with Coriander and Annatto
• 1 tsp chili powder

Mix all ingredients in a pot and simmer on medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes. Do not allow the chili to boil. The slow simmer will allow the chili to develop its own rich gravy.

Health notes: Rinsing the beans and draining the Rotel eliminates most of the salt from these canned products. I highly recommend using buffalo: buffalo meat has more flavor and less fat than beef, and grass-fed buffalo is higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and iron than beef (and without the risk of BSE that exists with industrially-raised beef).

Namaste, and bon appetit!