Chile Colorado for my snow day

This one is spicy. The kind of dish that warms you up on a snow day like we have here today. Even if it is served over salad greens. That is spicy! Good still, but the warming is there.

I am working on the Diner News for March. This month I am featuring more Triple Play recipes.  Love those to make life easier. Triple Play is basically planned leftovers. Cook a main dish protein, then make three completely different meals from the meat. This one uses beef stew meat. I have braised 4 pounds of stew meat and will be able to serve it three ways. Chile Colorado as seen here. Also, the newsletter will have recipes for a Quicky Beef Stroganoff and a delicious Coconut Lime Beef Stew. Point proven. Those flavor profiles are so different, no picky eater will know you are taking advantage of leftovers. Since braising tougher meat cuts takes substantial time, this is a smart plan. Braise a big batch to the perfect tenderness, then add the ingredients to make new flavors pop.The Diner news will tell you more ideas of what to do with poached chicken breasts, ham, and a big batch of brats. For now you have to wait.  The Diner News doesn't come out until the 1st.

Chile Colorado can mean different things to different people. It is basically beef in a red chile sauce--not the chili some of us make with beans and tomatoes. Think of it more as a serving of meat, not a complete meal. Some cooks add tomatoes; others get indignant over the tomatoes. To avoid the inevitable fuss, I opted to go tomato free. I also cheated. A lot. I am bad and did not use whole dried peppers. After all, the whole reason I am doing this is to streamline my time in the kitchen. Pre-ground chili powders did a fine enough job for me. If you have time to be gourmet, I am sure the results are spectacular. I am aiming for weekday fare here, so please don't hate. Granted, I am using high quality chile powders ordered from New Mexico, so the flavors are intense. Please don't substitute those envelopes of pre-mixed chili seasonings meant to make a pot of chili. Read your ingredients.

This dish has intense flavor that will need to be served with other foods. Don't plan on eating  a bowl of it. Think of serving it over salad greens with toppings like guacamole or sour cream. Or over cauli-rice. Or wrapped in a low carb tortilla.  It would also be amazing over scrambled eggs and topped with cheese. Yum. Ready? To get started, braise the meat. I did this by browning it along with a diced onion in coconut oil in a dutch oven. Then cover the meat with beef broth. Add a tablespoon of wine vinegar and cook for 1-2 hours on low heat. The meat should be tender. Remove 2 pounds of the beef from the braising liquid to make this dish. Reserve the remaining meat for the other meals.

Chile Colorado

2 lb beef stew meat, braised

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/2 cup beef broth

1 tbsp guajillo chili powder (may be substituted)

1 tbsp regular chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coconut flour

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Mexican oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp salt

Brown the pre-cooked beef in hot coconut oil in a large skillet. In a small bowl, combine beef broth with the chile powders, cumin, coconut flour, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and salt. Pour this sauce over the beef. Cook over low heat until the sauce is thick and reduced by half.

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