OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Comfort Food

Out West Cowboy Steak Chili

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Out West Cowboy Steak Chili combines tender steak, pinto beans and poblano chili peppers for a hearty meal with a subtle campfire cooked taste.

Big flavor on a budget. Turn that chuck roast, a can of pinto beans and a few produce items into a ‘sink your teeth’ into bowl of delicious chili. And…if you have any – HOLD the TOMATOES- guests, this recipe is for you! There are absolutely no tomatoes in this recipe. Yep, it gets all it’s flavor from chilies, spices and my favorite salsa verde. You can buy the can from the store or make my favorite.

Make it Your Own

  • Top with Lime Zested Sour Cream – Just add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of zest to sour cream.
  • Use Mexican Cotija cheese for a rustic, authentic flavor.
  • Melt Monterrey Jack cheese over the top – Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds for over the top cheesiness.
  • Add chopped cilantro – For color and freshness.
  • Grab the Fritos chips – Pile high on top or use as a scoop.
Out West Cowboy Steak Chili combines tender steak, pinto beans and poblano chili peppers for a hearty meal with a subtle campfire cooked taste.

Ingredients in Out West Cowboy Steak Chili

  • Chuck Roast – Chuck roast cut in cubes, pre-cut stew meat or steak works great in this chili.
  • Poblano Peppers – Poblano peppers may be called Pasilla peppers.
  • Serrano Pepper – Serrano peppers have a deeper depth of flavor than Jalapeno.
  • Onion – Sweet yellow onion.
  • Garlic – Minced garlic. I keep a jar in my refrigerator to save on time.
  • Lard – Lard or leftover bacon grease.
  • Pinto Beans – One can of pinto beans or about 1 1/2 cups pre-soaked dried pinto beans.
  • Beer – Modelo is perfect or any mild beer.
  • Liquid Smoke – Adds that campfire smokiness to this chili, making it cowboy chili.
  • Spices – Tajin Mexican seasoning, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and sugar.
  • Salsa Verde – Use my recipe or can sub green enchilada sauce.
  • Corn Tortilla – Small corn tortilla, torn in very small pieces, adds texture and thickness.
Out West Cowboy Steak Chili combines tender steak, pinto beans and poblano chili peppers for a hearty meal with a subtle campfire cooked taste.
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Out West Cowboy Steak Chili

Out West Cowboy Steak Chili combines tender steak, pinto beans and poblano chili peppers for a hearty meal with a subtle campfire cooked taste.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Beef, Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Football Food, One Pot Meal, Steak Chili
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp lard or bacon grease (divided) can use vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion cut in half then thin sliced
  • 2 poblano peppers cut in half then thin sliced
  • 1 serrano pepper diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp Tajin Mexican Seasoning
  • 2 lb chuck roast cut in cubes
  • 1 can pinto beans or your favorite beans
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 can beer I used Modelo
  • 1 cup salsa verde aka green enchilada sauce
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1 small corn tortilla torn in very small pieces

Instructions

  • In a large soup pot, saute onion, poblano pepper, serrano pepper and garlic in 1 tbsp lard over medium high heat.
  • Remove vegetables to a small bowl and set aside.
  • Season chuck roast cubes with Tajin and sear in pot, working in batches. Making sure to brown all sides.
  • Add vegetables back to pot, along with remaining ingredients, including torn corn tortillas.
  • Simmer for about 2 hours or until beef is tender.

Related Recipes

Portuguese Caldo Verde

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Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde, delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall and the depths of winter.

Fall hit us Pacific North Westerners a little early this year. It’s the first of October and the air is CRISP. I mean like instant Fall crisp. And would you believe our stove is on back order? Yes. We have no heat currently. So, soup is a REAL GOOD THING around our place.

I feel like broth based soups are the best at warming your body right down to your bones. This one here, Caldo Verde, it’s a soul soothing kind of warm. In the 30 minutes it takes to make, and with very few ingredients, Caldo Verde packs in HUGE flavor. I like to use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage because it really adds a lot of flavor. Traditionalist may frown upon this, so you can substitute a nice chourico sausage, if you please. Grab some Dinosaur kale from the garden or collard greens, anything substantially dark and leafy is good. A few potatoes, garlic, onion and broth. It’s really that easy and talk about a budget meal! Stay warm and spend less. My kind of meal.

Ingredients

  • Spicy Sausage – This can vary from the traditional chourico, linguica or simply spicy ground sausage.
  • Yellow Onion – I prefer a sweet yellow onion or Vidalia onion.
  • Garlic – Pick firm garlic cloves.
  • White Wine – What you have on hand. I keep a bottle of basic white wine in my fridge. Something on the lighter side.
  • Yukon Gold Potatoes – Thin skinned and medium starch make these the perfect choice for this broth based soup.
  • Chicken Broth – 1st Choice: make your own, 2nd choice: Better than Bouillon…it’s really up to you. I like my broth strong and flavorful.
  • Kale – Dinosaur kale or collard greens are hearty and hold up in this soup.

Preparation

  • Brown sausage in a large soup pot over medium heat.
  • Add onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white wine and cook additional 1-2 minutes.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, let simmer for about 10 minutes or until fork tender.
  • Add kale, salt and pepper. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, so the flavors develop.
  • Serve with crusty French bread and grated parmesan cheese.
Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde, delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall.
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Caldo Verde

Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde delivers soul warming goodness with simple ingredients of potato, spicy sausage and kale. This broth based soup is perfect for the first crisp days of fall.
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine Soups, Stews, Chowders
Keyword Broth Based Soup, Fall Soup, Portuguese Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 with extra

Ingredients

  • ½ lb. Jimmy Dean hot sausage
  • ¾ cup yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup white cooking wine
  • 2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes diced
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 3 cups Dinosaur kale or collards rough chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan for garnish if desired
  • Crusty french bread if desired

Instructions

  • Heat large soup pot over medium heat, add sausage, crumbling as you add to pan.
  • Cook sausage, stirring as it cooks until browned.
  • Add onion and garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add white wine and stir for about 1 minute.
  • Add potatoes and chicken broth, cook until potatoes are fork tender about 10 minutes.
  • Add kale and salt and pepper. Cook for at least 30 minutes, allowing flavors to develop.
  • Serve with crusty french bread and garnish with parmesan.

More Soups:

  • Carne en su Jugo
  • Roasting parsnips brings out their earthy sweet flavor in this winter soup. Not only is this soup easy to make, it's easy on the budget too.

White Chicken Poblano Chili

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Creamy White Chicken Poblano Chili with hearty beans, flavorful poblano and bits of sweet corn is a comforting change from the classic beef chili.

Creamy White Chicken Poblano Chili with hearty beans, flavorful poblano and bits of sweet corn is a comforting change from the classic beef chili.

Everyone makes the classic beef chili, but how about trying this White Chicken Poblano Chili? Inspired from our most recent visit to Costco where we wove our way through the samples. My daughter had one bite and loved it, wanting to take some home. But, of course, I had to tell her that I’ll make it a home. The phrase she is all too familiar with. I knew I had to create a recipe for this cold weather comfort food right away.

This comforting chili starts off with big flavor from browning the chicken thighs in bacon fat then transferring to the oven and roasted for even more depth of flavor. I like to use chicken thighs because they retain moisture, but if you prefer, you can substitute for white meat.

Tips:

Whenever you can – buy dried beans. You not only save money, but I have to believe that they are better for you having not been sitting in the can for months on the shelf. If you’re in a hurry, use rotisserie chicken. Just stir in some of the juices at the bottom of the container.

Serving Suggestions:

  • Dollop of sour cream
  • Diced avocado
  • Crunchy tortilla chips
  • Chopped cilantro

Related Recipes:

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White Chicken Poblano Chili

Creamy White Chicken Poblano Chili with hearty beans, flavorful poblano and bits of sweet corn.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Chicken
Keyword Chicken Recipes, Hearty Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Soaking beans 1 day
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 2 lb skin on chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp bacon fat or vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 serrano pepper minced
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 4 poblano peppers roasted, skin/seeds removed and sliced (can sub canned green chilies)
  • 1 lb dried navy beans, soaked overnight or about 4 cans navy beans, drained
  • 6 cups good chicken broth I use Better than Bouillon
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 can Muir Glen diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • Brown chicken thighs in bacon fat or vegetable oil over medium high heat in your large soup pot. Transfer chicken to sheet pan and finish cooking in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Saute onion, serrano pepper and red bell pepper in the same pot with the chicken drippings for 2 minutes.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes.
  • Removed chicken thighs from oven, remove skin and shred. Add shredded chicken to soup pot OR serve as a topping along with sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips and more fresh cilantro.

Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup

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Crunchy tortilla chips soak up the flavorful broth in this Out West Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup garnished with cilantro, lime and Queso Oaxaca

An Out West Lifestyle Favorite

Crunchy tortilla chips soak up the flavorful broth in this Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup garnished with cilantro, lime and Queso Oaxaca

There is something about the simplicity of tortilla soup. Crunchy corn tortilla chips laying in a simple broth soaking up all the flavor of green chilies. This Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup adds moderately spiced poblano peppers and sweet corn for a twist on the classic version.

Varieties of tortilla soup flood the web with ingredients from tomatoes to beans, but I prefer a more simple approach to tortilla soup. One that showcases the tortilla and gets its flavor from chilies and spices. A broth based soup that allows the tortilla chips to be the main textural element.

Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup simmers up in just 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal. With such a simple soup, you want to try and use the best ingredients you can find. Fresh corn cut off the cob, chicken broth made from leftover chicken bones and cilantro picked from the herb garden lend the best flavor. Planning ahead in the Summer months when ingredients are fresh by freezing that local corn or saving the bones from the last chicken dinner to make a homemade broth all add to the best flavor.

You Want The Tortilla Chips to Float

Toppings are the fun part of this soup. Fresh cilantro, Queso Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack cheese add a little something extra and I always love a squeeze of fresh lime juice. An important tip to remember…This soup is all about simplicity. A little goes a long way especially when it comes to the tortilla chips. Start by just adding a few chips – like 4 or 5.

Totally Freezable

Add this soup to your list of freezable soups! Ladle into Ziplocs and lay flat in your freezer for an easy dinner on another night. This broth based soup freezes well. When ready to reheat, just warm in a pot on the stove or in your microwave. Add the chips and garnishes when ready to serve.

Flavorful broth based Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup with cilantro, lime and Queso Oaxaca

Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup

Crunchy tortilla chips soak up the flavorful broth in this Poblano Corn Tortilla Soup garnished with cilantro, lime and Queso Oaxaca
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican, Soups, Stews, Chowders, Vegetarian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp. lard or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp. garlic minced
  • 1 7 oz. can fire roasted green chilies
  • 3 cups Poblano chili quartered, seeded, cut into thin strips
  • 2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1-2 pinch cumin
  • 1 small corn tortilla crumbled
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro rough chopped
  • Thick tortilla chips, cilantro, Queso Oaxaca and lime for serving

Instructions
 

  • Sauté onion and garlic in lard or vegetable oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
  • Add can of fire roasted green chilies with juice.
  • Add sliced poblano peppers and sauté another 3-5 minutes until softened.
  • Add corn, chicken broth, salt, cumin and cilantro. Bring to a simmer.
  • Slowly stir in crumbled corn tortilla and continue to simmer on medium low for at least 30 minutes.
  • Ladle over 4-5 thick style tortilla chips and top with Queso Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack cheese, more cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Keyword Broth Based Soup, vegetarian

Try These Recipes:

  • Carne en su Jugo
  • Out West Cowboy Chili
  • Frijoles Charros

Classic Cottage Pie

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Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.

Rich & Hearty ~ Classic Cottage Pie

Talk about easy! The Classic Cottage Pie checks all the boxes. Pantry recipe, YES. One pot meal, YES. Under 30 minutes, YES.

Budget friendly ground beef is browned with garlic, onion, smoked paprika and a pinch of red pepper flakes for added spice. The best part, though, are the creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes that are browned to perfection on top. Blending a creamy cheddar with a pungent Parmesan really adds flavor. If you have a few carrot tops, garnish the top for extra special presentation.

Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.
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Classic Cottage Pie

Rich and savory cottage pie topped with creamy potatoes and filled with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Irish
Keyword Irish Recipes, One Pot Meal, Pantry Recipes, Shepherd’s Pie, St. Patrick’s Day Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Potato Topping

  • 4 russet potatoes peeled
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese grated

Beef Filling

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup carrot diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cube tomato chicken bouillon (Knorr's in Mexican section grocery)
  • 1/2 tsp beef 'Better than Bouillon' bouillon
  • 2 cups potato water
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Potato Topping

  • Place peeled potatoes in a pot of lightly salted cold water and bring to boil. Boil until fork tender. Reserve 2 cups of potato water. Drain and return to pot.
  • Using the tines of your fork, 'rice' the potatoes until fluffy.
  • Add butter and blend.
  • Add whipping cream and blend.
  • Fold in cheese and set aside.

Beef Filling

  • Brown ground beef in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp in pan.
  • Push ground beef over to one side of the pan. Add garlic, onion and carrot. Saute until almost tender. Add peas and combine with ground beef.
  • Add tomato chicken and beef bouillon, potato water and remaining spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Spoon potato mixture over top of beef filling. Broil until browned. Top with fresh carrot tops or parsley.

This Classic Cottage Pie can be reheated with ease! Just pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with salad or fresh cheddar biscuits.

Make it Your Own

Add your favorite ingredients to make it your own. Here are a few ideas:

  • Switch out mashed potato topping for mashed cauliflower topping
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup parsnip
  • Mix up the cheeses in the potato topping with sharp white cheddar or smoked cheddar.

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