There is nothing better than a big bowl of chili on a cold winter night. Sitting in front of the fire, listening to the rain.. hmm relaxation at it’s finest. Comfort foods are one of my favorite savory indulgences. But not being able to tolerate the grains, flours, and various ingredients like beans, make it hard to get that hearty-fix without cheating. I’ve come across vary few recipes that satisfy my love for chili. I love spicy. I blame it on my mom. Yup, pulling the “mom card”. Poor moms, they get blamed for everything. This isn’t that bad of blame, I just credit her to the fact that I like it hot. You see, while good ol’ Mama Danno was pregnant with her favorite daughter, me, whoops sorry sister! Her constant craving was salsa and chips. This is also why I blame her for my love for fiestas and siestas, guacamole, California burritos, margaritas, Cabo, mariachi bands, chiclets, sandy beaches, and … alriggghhht, so not really. But I do like spicy. Kelly Milton from the Paleo Girl’s Kitchen and the book, “Paleo Happy Hour”, has a phenomenal chili recipe that I used. The thing about chili, there really aren’t any rules. And who says beans are the main ingredient? Not in my book. You can add really anything to it to beef it up.
My only personal requirement when it comes to chili is you MUST have that perfect blend of spicy. Not so over-powering your nose is running, mouths on fire and you can’t breath. But, just enough that the spice opens your senses to all the flavors. So numero uno, a great chili needs spice. Number two, you’ve got to have that cornbread to dip. I’m not a huge fan of cornbread, but it’s like peanut butter’s jelly… You know what I mean, the pea to the pod, Batman’s Robin, wine and cheese, Cher and Dionne {clueless reference}, etc. etc. Once I discovered Paleo Parent’s, authors of the amazing book “Beyond Bacon“, corn dog recipe and pot pie recipe, I knew I could adapt that into a perfect topping for my chili. And that’s just what I did.
This recipe is hearty, meaty, and provides amazzzzzinngg left-overs for a morning scramble or lunch. As always, simply enjoy!
- 1 1/2 lbs of grass-fed ground beef
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 habanero pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce ( I use Muir Glen Organic)
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 bunch of cilantro for garnish
- Lard or grass-fed butter, cold
- blanched almond flour
- tapicoa flour
- coconut flour
- teaspoons baking powder
- turmeric
- salt
- full-fat coconut milk
- egg white
- Click here for recipe: http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Bacon-Paleo-Recipes-Respect/dp/1936608235
- Preheat oven to 450.
- In a large pot, sauté the ground beef. Stir constantly to break up the ground beef until cooked through.
- Add chili powder, cumin cayenne pepper crushed red pepper and cinnamon. And stir until all spices are integrated.
- Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño and habanero peppers. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add bell pepper, zucchini, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While your Chili is simmering, you can prep the biscuit topping.
- Place casserole dish over a cookie sheet for easy clean-up (in case juices drip over.)
- Pour Chili into a 2 quart casserole dish.
- Gently lift dough round and place on top of Chili.
- Place in oven at 450 for 12 minutes, until dough round is golden brown on top with the liquid bubbling underneath it.
- Simply Enjoy!
- If you don't like your chili with a bit of spice or cannot tolerate spicy food, please feel free to remove the habanero peppers and jalapeño peppers.
Thanks Jamie, I’ll give it a try