Did you catch me in my national TV debut?  That’s me on the CTV News Channel this week, chatting with Amanda and Todd about how to lighten up your Super Bowl snacks!  It was an exciting and slightly terrifying experience, but a great time overall!  (I got to sit beside Lisa LaFlamme and have my makeup done!)

Make sure you pop over here to get the full details about those healthy snacks.  That 7 minutes flew by so quickly, we didn’t have time to talk about all of it!

If you did catch the segment, you noticed that we chatted about my favourite dish to make for a Super Bowl party: chili!  It’s hearty enough to please all those football fans, perfect for making ahead of time, and it won’t break your party budget.  Even better, if you play it right, you can make it “super” healthy if you go easy on the meat and load it up with a ton of fibre-rich beans and colourful veggies!  If you really want your end zone to thank you, then go lightly on the sour cream and cheese toppings. Sub in lower fat versions or even greek yogurt and some chopped cilantro!  Tons of flavour, and much less fat!

Here’s my recipe:

Super Bowl Rainbow Chili

2 T olive or canola oil
1 lb extra lean ground beef or ground turkey (omit for a vegetarian chili!)
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
pinch of cinnamon

1 large can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 large can ground tomatoes (no salt added)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn or 1 cup frozen corn

Heat oil in a large heavy pan on medium heat.
Sauté onions & garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes, then add ground beef and sauté until browned.  Drain off all fat from pan.
Add peppers , celery and sweet potato to pan and cook for a few minutes, then add chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Stir until everything is combined and fragrant; about 2 minutes.

Add the ground tomatoes and diced tomatoes with their juice
Add the drained and rinsed beans.

Cover pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add a bit of water if it is too dry.

Add the corn.

Simmer for a few more minutes or as long as you have (longer is better!) and taste.
Adjust seasonings:  add more spices, a pinch of sugar, hot pepper sauce or whatever you like.

Finish by adding 1-2 oz dark chocolate – melt and stir into sauce.

Enjoy!

 If you’d like to book Janet as a speaker for an entertaining interactive workshop with your group or organization,  click here.