Annie’s Award-Winning Yellow Tomato Chili

JP loves my chili. Loves it. He loves it so much, that he did not tell me about the chili cook-off at his work for eleven years so he would not have to share it with anyone. Seriously. The man is addicted.

The thing about my chili is that it is unlike any other that I have ever had. For several years of my life, I was allergic to citric acid, which is found in large amounts in red tomatoes. Enter: yellow tomatoes.

Yellow tomatoes do not have the acidity of red tomatoes; therefore they are perfect for those with citric acid allergies. Although I no longer have those allergies, the yellow tomato based chili has found its niche in our meal rotation.

Annie’s Award-Winning Yellow Tomato Chili

• Throw a pound of ground beef, venison, turkey, etc. in a pot. Pot should be at least 6 quarts in capacity.
• Brown ground meat.
• As meat is browning, chop up and add the following:
• 1 large onion
• 2 stems of celery
• ½  of a green bell pepper (or any pepper that may be lying around your fridge, waiting to be useful.
• Add 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic. Stir.

• Once veggies are translucent, add the following:
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 Table spoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano

• Stir.
• Add 2 quarts of canned yellow tomato puree  (recipe to follow soon.) If you do not have this on hand, you may use red tomato juice if you wish.
• Add 1 pint or can of diced tomatoes
• Add 2 cans of kidney beans
• Add water until chili is 2 inches from top of pot
• Stir.
• Bring to boil, then turn heat to low and let simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. The longer it sits, the better it will taste.
• About twenty minutes before you are planning to serve your chili, add 1 cup of instant mashed potatoes. Please trust me on this one. It will thicken your chili just a bit and give it a hearty taste and texture. I promise.

I serve this chili with my cornbread. It makes a nice addition to a scrumptious meal. The chili can me made ahead of time. It is also easy to freeze and take out on a busy day when there is no time to cook supper. It can also be made in a crock pot and left to simmer all day.

To jazz up your chili, you may want to serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce, jalapenos, crackers, tortilla chips, and anything else that suits your mood.

Oh, and remember that chili cook off at JP’s work? After I finally knew about it, Annie’s chili won, hands down, every year.

As you charge out into this day, take with you the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Live your life to the fullest, lovelies, everyday, choosing JOY.

~Annie