(Red) Beef Chili

I have three chilis I make regularly: Red Pork Crockpot chili (recipe coming in the future, I'm sure), White Chicken chili, and this Red Beef Chili.

Red Beef Chili
(adapted from LLL's Whole Foods From the Whole World)

1 lb. Ground beef (if I double the recipe, I use 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. Round steak, chopped)
1 lg. Onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped and/or 1-2 jalapenos, chopped and/or other hot peppers from the garden
1 T. white vinegar
2 small (or 1 big) can peeled whole tomatoes
8 oz. Can tomato sauce
2-3 T. chili powder
dash cinnamon
1-2 T. cumin
1-2 T. oregano
3 bay leaves
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
15 oz. Canned kidney beans, drained, optional (we left 'em out this time)

Brown ground beef, steak, onion, garlic and chopped pepper in soup pot, stirring until beef is cooked; drain. Add vinegar, tomatoes, tomato sauce and all seasonings. Mix well. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add beans and simmer 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves.

OR I brown the meat and veggies, while dumping the tomatoes and seasonings into the crock pot. Put the cooked meat and veggies in the crock pot, cover and cook on low all day.

We serve this over noodles (really stretches that pound of meat!) and topped with sour cream and shredded cheese. If there’s leftovers, we often have chili dogs the next day.