with all that snow last week, i have been craving hearty and hot food. i have also been eating ice cream every night….sooooo, i am not sure what that is about. i had some ground pork in the freezer and was trying to figure out what i could do with it. green chile stew was an easy pick since i had a jar in the cupboard and a can of pinto beans too! i try to keep things on hand like canned goods and chicken stock so when i have  few leftover ingredients in the fridge i can make something up!  i also generally always have carrots and celery…definitely onions!the green chile was something i bought back on that new mexico trip. i bought the hot kind, and it sure was hot. i didn’t realize this until after i took my first bite. guess i should have left out the red pepper flakes! i am kind of a pansy when it comes to spicy!

i made a small batch because it’s just little old me. you could double the recipe if you like.

1/2 lb of ground pork

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

1/2 white onion

1 garlic clove

1 tomato chopped

2 cups of chicken broth

1 jar of green chile

1 can of pinto beans

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp of cumin

1 tsp of mexican oregano

red pepper flakes if you like spicy

salt and pepper to taste

saute your pork in a pot with olive oil. once cooked remove from the pan. add in your onions and let cook for a minute. add in your carrots and celery. once they have cooked down a bit, add your garlic. you don’t want the garlic to burn, so only cook for a few minutes. add the chicken stock and scrap up all those juicy bits. next add the beans and spices. cook for a few minutes. add the green chile, pork,and tomatoes. let everything simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

serve it up with some feta, sour cream or greek yogurt, and scallions! yum!