#1,521: Grilled Chinese Eggplant over Ground Beef Chili

I don't know why I've been putting off making this recipe for so long.  There are two things that I definitely enjoy eating...chili and eggplant.  This recipe combines both of those yummy foods.  This was actually a really simple recipe to make, but I thought it was extremely bland and needed way more flavor more like a chili rather than just cooked ground beef.  So I added some diced bell pepper,  more cocoa powder and some blender salsa that I had on hand.  I wasn't a huge fan of the original recipe, but once I made the changes, I really liked it so much more.  In fact, I ate it for lunch today and will be eating it again for dinner tonight! 

The original recipe said to use a pressure cooker, but I don't have one, so I just made this on the stove in a pan.  I thought it was great!  If you want the pressure cooker directions, click here.  Otherwise the instructions below are for how I cooked it.  

1 pounds of ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 sweet yellow onions,chopped
1 Chinese eggplant, cut into thin strips
1 tbsp Coconut oil (I omitted)
1/3 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
½ tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (I used more like 1/8 cup or more)
1/3 tbsp ground cumin
1/3 tbsp ground coriander
1/3 tbsp garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
Salt, to taste

I also added about 1/2 red bell pepper, diced and about 1 cup of homemade blender salsa...it needed it!

In a pan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and onions until the meat is no longer pink.  Use a spoon to break into small pieces.  

Once almost all the way cooked through add the minced jalapeno, and bell pepper (if using), as well as the rest of the spices.  Add the salsa (if using) as well as ½ - 1 cup of water to the pot.  Stir everything together, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.  

When the chili is just about done, slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and cut into 2 or 3 inch lengths. Arrange eggplant on hot grill pan. Sprinkle salt and garlic powder (I also added a little bit of olive oil) on eggplant and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn eggplant, season the backside, and let cook another 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef chili to a plate, add eggplant, and enjoy!