I got to traipse around Costco with the folks last weekend, and as usual enjoyed the sample buffet of things like chicken apple sausage, chocolate devil's food cake, and pita chips. I can justify the Costco nosh because it's just one bite, and a tiny bite doesn't hurt anything.
I think Martha Stewart's Costco line is a brilliant business move mainly because there is so much food at Costco filled with chemistry experiment sounding ingredients that her stuff is a welcome hello to those of us who like to keep it as clean as possible. And of course, it being Martha you know the odds of the food tasting good are pretty much a winner.
So, I picked up the Martha Stewart Kirkland brand Beef Chili with Beans, and yeah it was tasty. The chili is made with organic tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients list is stuff made in nature. Here's the full list.
Taste
The chili is mild so those of you who like heat in your chili will have to zest it up with a hot sauce or some hot peppers. The chili to my taste buds was a bit on the sweet side, but to me the sweet is a plus.
Differing opinion on chunky
My only beef with the chili, excuse the pun, is that it really does not look as chunky in real life as in the picture. Martha's chili is a bit more on the soupy side meaning if you stuck a spoon in the middle of the chili it would topple over. I like chili thick so that the spoon stays straight up. So, in my picture above, I cooked up some organic ground beef and added it in. Plus, I threw in a wee bit of habanero because I like some heat.
I did appreciate the fact though that the chili was not overloaded with beans with some beef chunks thrown in as can be the case with many pre-made chilis. There was a good beef to bean ratio.
Something different: a yogurt and fruit topping
For my chili topping, I had some Greek honey yogurt in the fridge and thought why not try it instead of sour cream. I also chopped up some bosc pear and used that in lieu of cheese. You know what, the honey yogurt and pear was awesome with the chili because it added a coolness and a subtle sweet. Best part too is that I cut down on some calories and fat had I used traditional sour cream and cheese.
If you want a quick ready to heat meal made with natural ingredients, then I'd give the Martha Stewart Beef Chili with Beans a thumbs up.
