How to love the Rain (Hint: It Involves Chili)
Denverites,
It is difficult to imagine working in your garden or strolling through the farmer's market when it's a cloudy and rainy 40 degrees outside. It's mid May and despite the recent snowfall, we have the warm taste of summer on our lips. But the reality is that I am currently wearing a heavy scarf and much of our staff is covered in muddy compost.
Don't get me wrong, this rain is so very good for us! We have a city full of thirsty yards and gardens that need some love, and thankfully things are looking as green as the north coast around here. So what do we, as spoiled, sunshine-loving Denver dwellers do in the meantime to cope? Some of us hit the climbing gyms, watch an unhealthy amount of Netflix, work more, finish those six books we started in the dead of winter, and pull back out the flannels and wool socks.
Some of us cook. Many of your would agree that dreary days like these call for comfort food and the Re:Vision Buying Club is an awesome resource! Included to help you get through this week is a recipe using our ground elk meat from Frontiere Natural Meats. For all the vegetarians out there, substitute some of our pinto beans, black beans, or rice to fill you up!
Enjoy!
Megan
P.S. And if all of this didn't cheer you up, start looking forward to our newsletter next week - we've got some big news to share!
Elk Chili
INGEDIENTS
4 tablespoons Golden Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs. Frontiere Meats Ground Elk (thawed)
4 (4.5oz) cans of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
375 ml red wine
1 large onion, diced
5 stalks celery, diced
5 Re:Vision Garden garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Golden Organics Raw Cane Sugar
DIRECTIONS
Heat heavy stock pot w/ 2 tablespoons oil. Add ground elk and cook until meant has browned. Remove meat to separate bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, onions, celery, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent and soft. Add 1/2 bottle of red wine to pot to deglaze. Add cooked meat, tomatoes, tomato paste, seasonings, and water. Simmer for 2-3 hours, finish your book, and stir intermittently between chapters.
I encourage you to add other seasonal veggies to the chili like hearty winter greens! Soups and chilis are great for packing in all kinds of veggies on the verge of going bad.
Garnish with Rocking W White Cheddar Cheese, hot sauce, cilantro, or any other goodies you can find!
