Finding a Slice of Heaven at Maidstone State Park

Camping for 3 days in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, up at Maidstone State Park, in Guildhall (pronounced "gillhall" by the natives). A beautiful, peaceful spot, where we camped in a lean-to, canoed, explored, and definitely plan to return! Vermont state parks are among the nicest in the area. We love them, because we can leave the tent at home and stay in a site with a huge lean-to, where we set up our air mattress and queen-sized sleeping bag, and have plenty of room for our gear, and even the picnic table, if the weather turns nasty! It really is a little slice of heaven!

Now, you have to know, that I have been camping since I was in diapers, and so I grew up watching my Mum's expertise as a Chef de Camp! That is to say that our meals while camping were made from scratch, just like at home. My mom even baked (with a special oven made to be used on a Coleman stove) while camping! So when Thom and I camp, we cook real food; none of that Hamburger Helper, or Manwhich stuff. For this outing, we had Lentil Curry (look for it in an upcoming post), and Beef Chili Verde, a different take on Chili Con Carne! Easy to make, even at a campsite, and it freezes beautifully, so double the recipe, and have a meal ready for one of those crazy-busy days we all have...

Beef Chili Verde

Chile Verde, usually a slow-cooked stew of pork, jalapeños and tomatillos, becomes an easy weeknight meal with quick-cooking ground beef and store-bought green salsa. You can easily swap out the beef for cooked lentils to make a satisfying vegetarian version! I served our chili with warmed soft corn tortillas and garden fresh sliced tomatoes.

4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

Ingredients

• 1 pound 93%-lean ground beef
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 16-ounce jar green salsa, green enchilada sauce or taco sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed

Preparation

1. Cook beef, bell pepper and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in salsa (or sauce) and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutrition

Per serving : 307 Calories; 8 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 64 mg Cholesterol; 29 g Carbohydrates; 27 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 516 mg Sodium; 641 mg Potassium

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat