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.

National Sloppy Joe Day - Recipe Video

 This is the leanest Sloppy Joe you will ever eat. On this auspicious day in celebration of National Sloppy Joe Day, I have my version that is for the diet-conscious who uses ground chicken or turkey. And ground poultry seems to be a buck cheaper than ground beef these days.

Sloppy Joe's are typically made with ground beef, and depending on the fat content, you will have a gallon of grease after browning the beef. So, not only is my homemade poultry Sloppy Joe Burger delicious, but it fits into almost any dietary regimen.

I found a package on sale!

Hi, I am The 99 Cent Chef and I am a tightwad. I seldom cook with ground beef anymore. Since I created this blog in 2007, I've weaned myself off this artery-clogging but oh-so-tasty protein and learned to love ground poultry. 

The kind I use is mechanically separated and typically found in the frozen deli case. It's more watery than fresh ground chicken (or turkey,) but I've found that it firms up fine during baking or sauteing. Of course, use your favorite local ground turkey or chicken, mechanically separated or not.

My Ground Chicken Sloppy Joe Burger is loaded with flavor, using sauteed fresh veggies, pungent chili powder, ground cumin, and brown sugar -- all in a thick sauce of tomato and ketchup. 

Upon the first bite of my homemade Sloppy Joe, you will flashback to your childhood: when Mom put the steaming meaty bowl of goodness on the dinner table, and you piled on the sloppy mess between a bun -- then dribbled it all over your fingers, while staining the front of your tee shirt, as you scarfed it all down as fast as you could.

I used a pound of ground chicken for this recipe, so the end result will easily, and cheaply, feed your hungry brood -- just make sure to lay out extra napkins. Prices have increased since I originally made the recipe 10 years ago.

Condiments like Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and chili powder still show up cheaply.

You could conveniently buy a couple of cans of Sloppy Joe sauce, but you will still have to fry up some meat, so you might as well go the extra step and make my much more delicious homemade Poultry Sloppy Joe. 

And like two of my earlier video recipes, Beanie Weenies, and Chicken Stroganoff, I used stop motion animation -- it makes following cooking directions so much more fun!

Poultry Sloppy Joe's - Video

Play it here. The video runs 3 minutes 18 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (about 6 - 8 servings, depending on how sloppy you like it!)

• 1 pound of ground chicken, turkey, or beef - I used packages of cheaper, frozen (and thawed,) mechanically separated, ground chicken.
• 1 whole small onion - chopped
• 1 stalk of celery (optional) - chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper - green, red or yellow, chopped.
• 1 tablespoon of garlic - chopped, from a jar or fresh.
• 1 can of tomato sauce (about 15 oz.) - okay to use crushed, whole, or chopped tomatoes. Just break apart into smaller chunks when sauteing.
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar - or your favorite sweetener (may need less, depending on sweetener potency.)
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of oil - 1 tbsp. for sauteing chicken, and 1 tbsp. oil for sauteing veggies.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on hamburger buns

Directions
In a large pan or pot, add a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, then add ground chicken. I spread out the chicken to cover the bottom of the pan and just sit back and let one side brown. You don't need to brown both sides. It should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Turn over meat and break apart into bite-sized pieces -- like you would for a spaghetti meat sauce. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. You can add chopped celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the same pan -- or you could have been sauteing the veggies, at the same time as the chicken, in another pan -- it's up to you. Stir and cook veggies for about 5-10 minutes, until onions begin to turn light brown and caramelize.

When veggies are done, add cooked ground chicken. Pour in a can of tomato sauce, and a 1/4 cup of ketchup, and mix well.

The final additions are the seasonings, including Worcestershire Sauce, ground cumin and chile powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix the Poultry Sloppy Joe sauce well.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Check during the last five minutes and stir. You want a thick chili consistency -- not too watery. Uncover and let sit a couple of minutes, and the sauce will thicken even more.

Get out the hamburger buns and load them up -- but don't forget the extra napkins!

Gumbo with Leftover Turkey

I always have leftover Turkey after a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. Scrape meat off the bones and make my Gumbo with Leftover Turkey. Gumbo is a Southern soup with veggies and meat. A Gumbo also has darkened flour as its base flavor called a Roux.

A Cajun Gumbo uses almost any kind of meat. I keep it simple by using cooked holiday turkey pieces.

Don't throw away the turkey carcass, I've peeled a lot of meat just from the turkey's back. Use any leftover part of the bird for this recipe. 

Go right to making a Roux out of flour. While the Roux is browning chop the Cajun Trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery. For my Gumbo, I like to add garlic and okra, too. 

The most complex part of a Gumbo is the Roux. Usually, plain raw flour is cooked until a medium to dark brown, this gives Gumbo its unique nutty flavor and color. Back in the day an equal amount of oil was used to brown the flour. These days I leave oil out. As long as you scrape and stir the flour it will brown fine. It usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Grocers are starting to carry Roux that is pre-cooked and brown, so you can go right to sauting veggies, then add the pre-cooked Roux. I've made Gumbo using the shortcut grocer method and the long homemade browning version.

A couple of hard-to-find ingredients in my Gumbo with Leftover Turkey can be left out. Filé Powder is dried sassafras leaves. Creole Seasoning is mainly salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, thyme, cayenne, onion, and garlic powders. 

The Cajun Trinity, comprised of bell pepper, celery, and onion, is used in many Southern recipes. 

I still get these veggies frequently on sale for less than a dollar.

Okra might not be to everyone's taste as it becomes slimy after cooking for a while, but I like it fine. 

Cajuns serve their Gumbo over white steamed rice. I've had it over brown rice and even quinoa.

My Gumbo with Leftover Turkey is best served hot on a cold day. If you are tired of Leftover Turkey Sandwiches or a plate of reheated dried-out sliced turkey with soggy sides, then go for my satisfying and filling Gumbo with Leftover Turkey. 

Gumbo with Leftover Turkey - VIDEO      Play it here, video runs 4 minutes, 31 seconds.

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

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings)

• 3/4 Cup Flour - for a Roux. Takes about 20 minutes to brown.
• Leftover Turkey - about 2 pounds. I used a wing plus a mix of dark and white meat.
• 1 Onion - chopped
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon.
• 1 Bell Pepper - chopped.
• Celery - about 2 chopped ribs.
• Okra - about 12 pieces. I slice okra depending on how large they are. Okay to leave a few whole.
• Creole Seasoning - 1 teaspoon. Creole seasoning is usually a combination of salt, paprika or chile powder, dried garlic, and onion. 
• Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon. Creole Seasoning has enough salt for my tastes.
• Filé powder - 1 teaspoon, optional. Filé is dried sassafras leaf powder.
• Water - 8 cups.  Okay to add the extra cup while cooking to reach a thinner Gumbo. For a thicker Gumbo simmer uncovered about 15 to 30 minutes. 
• Steamed Rice - I usually steam a cup or two of rice. Add to the bottom of the bowl when serving Gumbo - white or brown rice. 

*A large raw turkey leg can be used if you don't want to cook a whole holiday bird. You should cook a raw turkey leg for about 2 hours in the Gumbo broth until tender. Then remove the leg and peel off the meat, finally return it to the Gumbo to reheat.

Directions

Add flour to a large pot over medium saute to make a Roux. This gives Gumbo its brown color and nutty flavor. I use a non-oil method. Most Roux recipes call for an equal amount of oil to flour. 

You need to stir the flour until it is medium to dark brown, about 20 minutes.

(And if you want to speed things up then buy a pre-made Roux from the grocery store.)

You can chop onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, and garlic while Roux is browning.

Add all the veggies including onion, bell pepper, celery, okra, and garlic.

Sprinkle on Cajun Seasoning (or salt), and black pepper. 

Add Gumbo Filé, which are dried sassafras leaves ground into powder. Okay to leave this out as it may be hard to find.

Now add the cooked turkey. Add 8 cups of water. Mix well and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat to a simmer or low boil, then cover and cook for 1 hour. 

*If you are using raw Turkey, increase cooking time to about 2 hours or until Turkey is tender.

*If you are using cooked whole Turkey pieces then remove skin and bones after simmering, and shred Turkey into bite-size pieces. Return Turkey to Gumbo to reheat before serving.

If you like a thicker Gumbo broth, simmer it uncovered for about half an hour.

I like to serve cooked rice with Gumbo. During the last half hour of cooking, you can start your rice. Cook according to package directions.

When Gumbo with Leftover Turkey is ready add cooked rice to a bowl or plate and spoon on the Gumbo.

Gumbo with Leftover Turkey can simmer on the stovetop for extra time, as the longer it cooks the better. 

Okra falls apart after an hour, but that's okay as it will help thicken the Gumbo. It's okay to add the okra during the last half hour of cooking if you like it less mushy.

My Gumbo with Turkey Leftovers can be made with regular chicken pieces, too.

And don't forget the Hot Sauce!