Paleo Beef Chili

Chili is a perfect dinner for a cool, fall day like the ones we've been having lately.  It's especially good on a night of watching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS series, or some good football games - Go State!  It's also a very easy meal to prepare.  Normally, I make a big batch in the crockpot, but on this particular day, I made it on the stovetop.  However, this would be perfect for the crockpot, as well. 

I have made paleo chili before, but this is the best one so far.  The bacon adds a wonderful flavor and the carob powder adds a uniqueness to it.  It is so delicious!  I used a recipe that a friend of mine posted on her crossfit facebook page and tweaked some things to make it my own (added butter and mushrooms, more onion, more broth, more spices, carob for cocoa, and used beef instead of bison).  I had about a cup of leftover roast beef that I diced up and threw in here, too... but I don't have it listed below since it won't be a normal thing ton include. 

Paleo Chili

2 Tablespoons grassfed butter
3-4 slices chopped, uncooked bacon
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

In a large stainless steel saucepan, melt butter, then cook bacon for a few minutes over medium heat until some fat has been rendered.

Add onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook another few minutes until onions and mushrooms have softened.  Add garlic and cook a minute or two more. 

Next, add ground beef and brown it a bit.  You don't have to cook it through since it'll continue cooking, just brown it. 

Next, add the spices, broth, tomatoes, and carrots.  Stir.  Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Add vinegar and carob/cocoa powder.  Stir.  Cook another 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with sliced avocado and enjoy! 

Note:  If you want to make this in a crockpot, you can still cook the bacon, onions, and mushrooms before tossing it all in the crock.  Or you can just toss everything in together (except the carob powder and vinegar) and let it cook on low all day.  Add the carob powder and vinegar about 30-60 minutes before serving.


This post is linked to: 
Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade
Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

A few weeks ago, I tried a recipe for cheesy white chicken chili from my friend Melissa's blog.  Melissa writes that this chili has won several chili cook-off competitions and always goes over well.  I can see why because it is delicious!  We all loved it!  I'm sure I'll make it again and just count it as part of the 20% non-primal food allowance on the days that I do 80/20.  :)   I did add some of the optional sour cream and homemade cream cheese, but only about half of the recommended amounts below.  I also only added about a quarter of the shredded cheese.  This would be great without all the cheeses, as well!

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans green chilies
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
30 oz. chicken broth, homemade is best
3 cups chicken breast meat, cooked & chopped or shredded
4 cans white beans, drained, home-canned or soaked are best
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream, optional (I used less than 1/2 cup)
4 - 6 oz. cream cheese, optional, homemade is best (I used about 2 oz.)
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
12-16 oz. grated Mexican blend cheese (or you can use any combination of Monterrey Jack, pepper jack, or cheddar, stay away from mozzarella b/c it is stringy when melted... I only used a handful)

In 4 or 5 qt. pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and soften onion and garlic. Add green chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook a few minutes, then add broth, chicken, and 3 cans of the drained beans. Mash the fourth can of beans (use a potato masher, fork or pastry blender and mix in a little bit of the broth from the soup to make it a little easier) and add it to the pot.

Turn heat to low, wait until it is hardly simmering and add cheese slowly until completely melted. If you add the cheese while the soup is bubbling ferociously then the cheese will clump and stick to the chicken.

You can add the sour cream, cream cheese, and/or corn if you would like, but the soup is great without them, depends on your taste.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious

Crockpot Taco Soup

I made another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking on Tuesday - for taco soup. This was excellent! It seemed like a chili to us, though - not sure why mine got so thick... I even added some water to make up for the liquid I didn't add from using canned corn (I used home-frozen)... and with the kidney beans in there, it reminded us of chili with a taco flavor. No complaints from anyone, though - all three of us loved it! Definitely another keeper recipe! I made a half recipe and it was more than enough for dinner and several lunches.

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn (I used home-frozen, so I added about 2 cups of water to replace the liquid in the cans of corn)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I used 2 Tablespoons of my homemade mix)
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment (optional)

Brown meat if you are going to use it. Drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.) Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock. Add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5.

Stir well before serving and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. (I just used a small dollop of sour cream)

Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. I just love Stephanie's blog - I think I've tried more recipes from her slow cooking blog than I have from any other blog. I just like using my crockpot - its so nice to come home from work and having our dinner ready to go. I'm gone a minimum of 12 hours in the day between commuting, working, and picking up Carson, so I don't always feel like cooking when I get home, either. So the crockpot solves everything... well almost! :) Anyway, we tried salsa chicken and black bean soup earlier this week. It was so, so good!! Great flavor - but I love soups like this. We all loved it and I'll definitely make it again! It turned out more like a chili than a soup for me, though. But that's ok - it was still delicious!

I'm so glad I've broadened my tastes for soups over the last year. That was kind of an unspoken goal of mine over the last year. I never used to like soup... and I still don't really like broth. The only soup I would really eat before were broccoli cheese, baked potato, and seafood chowder... I liked them if they were thick and creamy. But I steered clear of any thin-broth soups. I think I've done pretty well in broadening my tastes for soups... this will be my 21st soup recipe to post on my blog... and I've enjoyed almost all of them! Now I love soup! I'm glad, because its just so easy and nutritious! Well most soups, anyway. :)

I'll update later with a picture.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

1 pound chicken
1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed... but I used dried)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

I used a 6 quart crockpot. You will need a 4 quart or larger.

If you know you are going to make this the night before soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans - let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yes, High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 -similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth, you can use your immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot. (I did not do this, ours was plenty thick!)

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving (I just used a small scoop on top of each bowl, rather than stirring it in), and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices (did not use either, but was wishing I'd had some avocadoes!).

Creamy White Chicken Chili

I wanted to make a white chicken chili this week, instead of the normal red chili I usually throw together. I linked to My Kitchen Cafe through my friend Melissa's blog last week - holy wow, there are some delicious recipes on this blog! When I saw this recipe for creamy white chicken chili, I knew I wanted to try it... and make it a little healthier. I added some extra veggies (green bell peppers and fresh mushrooms), used half the sour cream called for, and used fat-free half-and-half instead of heavy cream... and it was still delicious and super creamy! I didn't make it on the stovetop, though, just threw everything except the sour cream and milk into the crockpot before work. This was delicious!! So, so, so good!

I'll update later when I (finally) upload my pictures off my camera.

Creamy White Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken I had frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil (didn't use this)
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can... I just used 1 for Carson's sake)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out for Carson... Kevin and I wanted more heat, so we squirted some sriracha in our bowls..)
1 cup sour cream (I didn't add this much... probably only about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used fat-free half-and-half instead)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Makes about 6 servings.