Now that we’re through the holidays, let’s get back on track with some healthy food. Or if you are into it, something for the tailgate parties. Once again the trusty crockpot is coming out for this one. However this can be done on the stove. I made this recipe long before I was Paleo or even heard of such a thing. The short story was I hated beans in chili. Absolutely hated it (ducks from the pro-bean people) I tried Pinto beans, black beans, white beans, and various combos of the above. No joy. So I decided to come up with my own version. There are two “secret ingredients” here – cocoa powder and instant espresso. Now I NEVER use instant coffee nor espresso to drink but it really gives a smoky note to chili that can’t be beat. If you see a jar in my kitchen you now know why. I will be working on a nightshade-free version of this soon so I can eat chili again, but in the meantime… Here you go!
Beth’s Chili (serves 8+)
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 4 large carrots, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 med. red bell (capsicum) peppers, chopped
- 1 med. green pepper, chopped
- 1 or 2 jalapenos, diced (seeded if you want to keep the spice down, or add the seeds for a kick)* OR 2 chipotle peppers diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder, homemade if possible
- 1 Tbsp adobo sauce (from the chipotles) **
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. instant coffee
1 .Brown off the meat in a skillet with a bit of oil and 1 Tbsp of the chili powder . Set aside
2. While the meat is browning, chop onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and peppers and layer in the crock pot. Put the meat on top of the vegetables. Add the mushrooms.
3. Pour the tomato paste in, followed by the crushed tomatoes and stock.
4. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. The longer it cooks the better the flavor. This also freezes extremely well.
* For you heat freaks out there, feel free to sub out the jalapenos for your favorite peppers. I prefer jalapenos, or chipotle peppers
** If you don’t happen to have adobo sauce, you can throw a quick and dirty together by taking 1 Tbsp catsup, 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and a 1/4 tsp cumin
If you are a legume eater, feel free to throw some in! It will certainly stretch the chili even further. If you are following Paleo leave all legumes out.
