Issue 026

June 2007

Chilli is an old Aztec dish, they used to put chocolate in theirs (which is actually quite nice!). The basis of this ‘bulking’ recipe is to be high in healthy fats to help you build mass, hence lots of olive oil! Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, which can help to lower cholesterol as part of a calorie controlled diet.

As this will be low in saturated fat but high in monounsaturated fats, try to include more polyunsaturated fats during the day to balance your daily fat intake. These can be found in nuts and seeds. 

The brown rice is a filling and ‘healthier’ alternative to white rice, which will spike insulin levels and be digested quicker. Brown rice allows for a slower release of energy and will keep you feeling full for longer, cutting out on the need for snacks! 

Ingredients

8oz / 1-2 lean steak mince, or two sirloin steaks with the fat removed & minced

1 large finely diced onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp paprika (according to taste)

½ tin kidney beans rinsed from the can

½ tin borlotti beans rinsed from the can

1 tbsp tomato puree

50gm olive oil

1-2 red peppers diced

Cooked brown rice

Method

Unless you have a mincer at home you will need to go to the supermarket to get your.butcher to mince some steak for you, this won’t take a minute for them and they’ll be happy to help. 

Take a large frying pan or wok, coat with a little oil and make this hot. Add the steak and sauté this for a few minutes. If moisture is coming out and there is water in the pan, drain this and re-heat the pan. Colour the meat all over and set aside.

Wipe the pan out, again coat with oil and make this hot, add the onion and cook this for a few minutes, keep stirring as it cooks. We want this to soften, then colour these slightly (the onion will tart going brown). Once coloured add the peppers and cook until they are softened. Add the garlic, stir this in and after about half a minute add the meat back to the pan and stir it all in. 

 Season this with salt and pepper, then add the drained kidney and borlotti beans and stir these in. Add the paprika and cook for a further minute. Now add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes and stir in. Cook for a further few minutes and re-season with salt and pepper to taste. If it needs more heat (flavour-wise) then add a pinch of paprika at a time and taste. 

Storage

If you’re making up a large amount of chilli, then it is no problem to put some in a tub and freeze it to eat another day. Simply take out a few hours before you eat it, let it defrost and reheat it in the microwave. 

Serving Instruction

Cook the brown rice according to the packet’s instructions; this takes some time to cook, so allow for this before you start making the chilli.