My in-laws gave me the awesome birthday gift of a spice grinder. This gave me the perfect excuse to use Aldi’s whole dried guajillo chiles that I’ve been eyeing for a while now. As soon as I got that spice grinder I knew what I wanted to make, chili!



I ground up the whole chile (minus the stem) and some cumin seeds I bought at the Asian grocery store. Nothing quite compares to the smell of freshly ground cumin.The base of fresh vegetables makes a fairly light “stew” and the mild flavor of the chile blend makes it safe for the non-spice lovers in our household. Feel free to change it up with different pepper varieties or vegetables (I bet corn would be good in this). This is a very basic dish that’s waiting for some creative additions!
Tex Mex Stew
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 medium tomatoes)
- 3 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans
- 1 whole guajillo chile, ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Directions:
- In a large pot, bring the olive oil to medium-high heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, jalapeños, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent and tender.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve with a side of cornbread or crackers.
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 247 Fat: 8.4g Saturated Fat: 1g Protein: 11g Carbohydrates: 35g Sugars: 5.5g