By Dianne Bunis

Whether snowed in or coming in from a day of skiing and sledding, there's nothing like a healthy bowl of chili to warm the heart and toes. Double the recipe and freeze a batch for the next snow storm.

Beef-Vegetable Chili, serves 4

1 pound grass-fed ground beef (free of antibiotics and hormones)

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced; reserve 1/2 for topping

1 large organic carrot, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cups organic vegetable broth

1 29-oz. can natural diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 15.5-oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (it lowers salt intake)

1 15.5-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese, plain no-fat Greek yogurt, red pepper flakes for garnish

Prepare

In a 2-quart saucepan, drizzle 1 tsp. oil and sauté ground beef until brown; remove and set aside. In the same pan add 1 tsp. oil and vegetables -- onions, carrots, potatoes, green pepper and celery, cook for 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Return the browned beef to pan, add broth, tomatoes and bay leaf and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add beans, cumin and chili powder and cook for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to adjust thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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chili with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onion and/or 1 tbsp. plain no-fat Greek yogurt, red pepper flakes. Keep chili refrigerated for up to three days.

Correction: Last week's recipe called for bok choy and in case you spotted spinach in the preparation, I was debating which vegetable to use. That's what cooking is all about -- trying something different. Either would be delicious, I suggest trying both.