Swamp Chili - Chef Matt Video Recipe

Get out of the way Swamp Chef, this next recipe packs a whole lotta flavor. Chef Matt's easy & quick Beef Chili with Beans is worth coming out of the swamp for. 

Along with the Cajun Trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery, plus ground beef, the other ingredients come from the can. Spices are strictly dried and easy to get.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Instead of a precut Trinity, it's easy enough to buy the veggies cheaper and chop them yourself, you may save a buck or so.

You can bring this recipe to that table in about half an hour! This is how he does it easily after a shift of cooking at a restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Although this Beef Chili cooks quicker than the chomp of a bayou alligator it has a deep chili flavor. Don't take my word for it, just stay until the end of the recipe video where the family give their own testimonials - take it from Mom, Miles, Zak, Mrs 99 Cent Chef (Linda), and the Swamp Chef himself.

Mrs. 99 Cent Chef & Mom

Ground beef is the most expensive ingredient. You can use lighter ground turkey that is on sale, too. 

Most of the flavor comes from canned chili beans, chili powder, and dried Italian herbs.

He adds Louisiana Hot Sauce of course, but you can keep it mild for the youngsters and leave it out, just make sure to have a bottle on the table for heat-loving adults and teenagers.

Chef Matt & Swamp Chef pick up Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Now, some prefer their Beef Chili without beans, I guess you could leave out the beans but I would give this version a try, especially topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped green onion.

Tomato is the base and Chef Matt uses two 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes. Of course, with most of Chef Matt's recipes, he throws in a 10-ounce can of Ro-Tel which has tomato plus chopped green chiles.

Chili Beans come from the can as well. I still get all the canned ingredients cheaply.

Once the ground beef and fresh veggies are cooked for a few minutes, the rest of the ingredients are poured in or sprinkled on and simmered for 20 minutes, that's it.

Check out Chef Matt's latest budget recipe of Beef Chili with Beans that I know your family will enjoy, just like mine and the Swamp Chef's!

Chef Matt's Swamp Beef Chili with Beans - VIDEO     Play it here, video runs 7 minutes, 52 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef - 2 pounds. Okay to use ground poultry for a lighter Swamp Chili
• 1 Onion - chopped.
• 1 Bell Pepper - chopped.
• 1 Celery Stalk - chopped.
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon chopped.
• Crushed Tomatoes - Two 28-ounce cans. Okay to use tomato sauce.
• Ro Tel - 10-ounce can, optional. Ro Tel is chopped tomato with green chiles.
• Chili Beans - 2 cans 16 ounces each.  Chef Matt likes the brand called Bushes Chili Beans which are Pinto Beans in a Mild Chili Sauce. Any favorite cheap brand is fine, even plain Pinto Beans.
• Dried Italian Seasonings - 2 teaspoons. Okay to use any favorite herbs.
• Onion Powder - 1 tablespoon.
• Chili Powder - 2 tablespoons. Paprika Powder is a good substitute as the flavors are similar.
• Salt - 2 tablespoons. That's too much for me, but Chef Matt likes his salt. Okay to use half the amount or less.
• Louisiana Hot Sauce - about 5 dashes or a teaspoon. Optional. Okay to use any favorite hot sauce.

*Extra Toppings include shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions. I also like chopped yellow onions and sliced black olives.

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, saute ground beef for about 5 minutes. Break apart into small pieces. Okay to drain and remove some of the rendered fat. (Ground Turkey or Chicken is lean so there's no fat to drain.)

Add chopped veggies and garlic to a pot of ground beef. Saute a couple of minutes.

Add 2 cans of crushed or chopped tomatoes and a can of Ro Tel (optional).

Add 2 cans of Chili Beans. You can use almost any favorite canned beans since Chef Matt adds extra Chili Powder.

Sprinkle on dried Italian seasoning, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce.

Okay to reduce or eliminate salt amount, as I find using canned ingredients adds plenty of salt to my taste. When adding hot sauce start with half the amount, taste, and adjust to your heat tolerance.

Mix well, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. This is the kind of recipe you can keep at a low temperature as long as you like, add a little water if it cooks down too much.

When Beef Chili with Beans is done serve with a selection of toppings. I like shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and sliced black olives.

Frybread Taco Recipe - Indian Summer Vacation Series

Leave it to American Indians to come up with a delicious dish that looks like a Mexican pizza: a Frybread Taco.

I had a Frybread Taco during a lunch stop on the way to Arches National Park. It's similar to a humongous Americanized taco, but on a fluffy, airy round of pizza-like crust - really quite tasty.

All the typical ingredients seemed simple enough to assemble, just ground beef, beans, iceberg lettuce, tomato, onion, grated cheese and sliced black olives, on a slab of Indian Frybread. For my version I left out the beef, olives and onions, but you can mix and match almost any favorite taco ingredients you like. Do you want meat on your taco? I have an easy and quick recipe for that right here.

Flour, baking powder, water and oil, that make up Frybread, are cheap enough. I made this entree vegetarian and all the toppings fall within my 99 cent mandate. As I mentioned above, you can make it with ground meat, while that is an inexpensive protein, it's still over my budget.

If you have been following my Indian Summer Vacation Series then you've seen my Frybread Video Recipe from a few weeks ago. Check it out below to see how locals do it.

Frybread is light and tasty, kind of a cross between a flour torilla and pizza crust. They are on the large size, about 8 inches across, so one Frybread Taco is almost enough for a meal. My recipe makes enough for 2 Frybread.

The main topping ingredient for this taco are Chili Beans. I take a shortcut and use canned. Also, you can also use any favorite canned beans, like pinto, chili with beans, red or black beans. If all you have are red beans or pinto beans, try adding half a teaspoon of chili powder. And you can use nutritious spinach instead of iceberg lettuce.

Frybread right out of the frying pan is delectable and you should try it once, even if it is made with white flour and deep fried like a doughnut. (You can substitute whole wheat flour instead of white.) It's a delicious indulgence.

So give my Frybread Taco a try, it's a unique taco and looks good on the plate.

Ingredients for Frybread (for two, eight inch round tacos)

• 1 1/4 cup of flour - okay to use wheat flour.
• 1 teaspoon baking powder - it makes the Frybread blister and puff up.
• 1/2 cup of water
• Vegetable oil for frying - any favorite. Most recipes call for lard or Crisco, you can use it, if you want to.

Frybread Taco Toppings
Chili beans, chopped tomato, lettuce (or any greens) and shredded cheese. Other topping include: sliced black olives, onion, avocado, taco-style ground meat (recipe here,) pico de gallo (recipe here,) and of course, hot sauce.

Directions
Add flour and baking powder to a large bowl. Mix well.

Pour in water and begin to stir with a spoon or fork. As dough comes together you will need to get your hands in there to form a dough ball.

If the dough is sticky when all mixed together, then sprinkle on a teaspoon of flour and fold the dough some more. You shouldn't need more flour than a couple of teaspoons.You only need to mix and fold the dough for a couple of minutes, total.

When dough if well mixed together, pinch it in half and form 2 dough balls.

At this point you can chop any veggie toppings and set them aside. I used tomato, red leaf lettuce and cheddar cheese.

Start the Chili Beans heating in a pot (or zap them in a microwave oven.) I like to get all the topping ingredients ready to assemble when the Frybread comes hot out of the oil.

Add oil into a frying pan that's at least 8 inches across. Add enough oil until half an inch deep. You want enough for the Frybread dough to float when cooking. Start with a medium/high heat for frying.

While oil is heating make the Frybread rounds. Sprinkle a little flour on a board or counter. Spread it out about 8 inches around. Lay out one dough ball and flatten with your hand and fingers. Start from the center and work your way outward.

Keep pressing until you get a tortilla shape. It doesn't have to be perfectly round, the main thing is to make it thin without tearing (or taco fillings will fall through.) It should be similar to thin crust pizza.

Repeat the shaping steps on the other dough ball. Now time to fry it up.

Pinch off a small piece of dough and drop it into the now hot oil. The dough should immediately bubble and float. Be careful as you are working with hot oil. If you have a frying thermometer the temperature is about 375 °F (190 °C.) I just guess, with my heat controls in the medium/high range.

Spoon-out the dough piece. Use both hands to pick up the flatten dough and slowly add it to the hot oil. Again, be careful when working with hot oil. The dough will bubble and quickly float.

The dough cooks quickly, no more than 30 seconds to a minute. Use a metal spatula or fork, and lift one edge of the dough to check that the Frybread is stiff - that means it's read to be turned over.

Turn the Frybread over and cook another 30 seconds or so. That's it. The Frybread doesn't have to be browned like a doughnut - you may get a few light brown spots.

Now just lay the Frybread on a paper napkin, or a wire rack, to drain off the oil. Repeat the same frying method for the other dough ball.

It's best to assemble and eat the Frybread Taco while it's still warm. You can add the toppings in any order. I like the beans on the bottom then add the rest of the toppings. If you want melted cheese then add that on the hot beans, followed by the other ingredients.

The balance of ingredients is up to you. Add a lot of beans or just a little. Double up on the cheese or veggies. It's all to your taste.

Now just eat the Frybread Taco like you would a big slice of pizza. It's easier to handle than pizza, as Frybread is stiffer - somewhere between a saltine cracker and a soft tortilla.

As I mentioned earlier, you can use any favorite taco toppings like: black olives, avocado, onion (white, yellow, red or green onion,) sour cream, pico de gallo salsa (recipe here,) hot sauce, etc.

And my Frybread recipe is easy to just double the ingredients to make more. Also, I reuse my oil, so when it cools down and the flour sediment has settled to the bottom,  I pour it into a large pickle jar (cleaned and dried of course) for use on another day.

Indian Summer Vacation Series (click on any title below to see the blog post).

1. Introduction

2. Driving to Monument Valley

3. Monument Valley Tour + a Vision Quest

4. Frybread Recipe

5. Spirit Guide & Medicine Man - Don Mose

6. Indian Clan Names

7. Camping in Moab, Utah

8. Arches National Park

9. Frybread Taco Recipe

10. Canyon de Chelly Tour