Kidney-Friendly Cincinnati Chili

Since last fall, after our daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure, I have been busy making adjustments to my recipe repertoire. Along with nightly dialysis treatments, we have had to adjust her diet. I had been used to making meals with whole grains and lots of green vegetables, but many of those are not welcome on a renal diet. You may or may not know, but one of the jobs of your kidneys is to regulate electrolytes (like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium) in your body. When you have little or no kidney function, these electrolytes must then be controlled by medications and/or food intake. While considering what foods our daughter enjoyed, I have been working on developing recipes that will be both delicious and keep her within the specified numbers given by her dietician.

Once, when we were travelling through the Midwest, we stopped at a restaurant where they served Cincinnati Chili. Our daughter has often recalled how much she enjoyed it. But tomatoes, in traditional chili, are high in potassium. This following recipe works well to taste like traditional chili with a mild – medium spice level. The sauce itself (without the meat) would also taste delicious as a substitute for enchilada sauce.

Kidney-Friendly Cincinnati Chili

Nancy

A flavorful pasta dish suitable for Renal Diets.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground meat (beef/chicken/turkey/pork)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups chopped carrots
• 1 head garlic (about 12 cloves or 2 TBS minced garlic)
• 2 TBS chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder
• 2 cups unsalted stock/broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

 

• Cook ground meat in a dutch oven or a heavy pot over medium heat. Remove and set aside. Drain any fat remaining.
• Add olive oil to pan. Add carrots, onions, and peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add garlic cloves and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the spices and stir to coat.
• Add stock/broth, water, and salt. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Add vinegar.
• Using a regular blender, puree the vegetables. To prevent burning yourself, blend in two batches. You can also use an immersion blender.
• Return the cooked meat to the sauce. Pour sauce over pasta, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.

Notes

Note: For a kidney-friendly meal, be sure to choose regular (NOT whole wheat) noodles to keep potassium and phosphorus at an acceptable level. If you top with cheddar cheese, this will increase the amount of phosphorus for this meal.

Keyword Dinner, Renal Diet