Goldilocks Chili Con Carne

This is hands down my *favorite* chili recipe, and we enjoyed it for dinner today.  I stumbled across it on the web a year or so ago, and I've probably been half of Ulla's page views for this recipe since then.

I've modified it to my tastes and encourage you to do the same.  Don't like beans?  Leave 'em out.  Like things spicier?  Add extra chipotle.  Make it yours!

If you leave out the beans, this is Whole30 compliant.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground grass-fed beef, or a blend of beef & turkey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons Penzey's regular chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican Oregano
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 red, orange or yellow pepper, diced
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and lightly rinsed  (OPTIONAL - OMIT FOR W30)
• Salt, chipotle powder, and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown meat in large heavy pot at a medium high heat, drain excess fat if desired.
2. Add onions and garlic; sauté until soft about ten minutes.
3. Reduce heat add tomatoes, beans, peppers, and spices. Salt and pepper to taste!
4. Simmer as long as you have time for, or dig in right away.

Sweet Potato Paprikash - let's have seconds ... and thirds!

Yet another huge win on the whole food journey with my dear husband.  He took a huge food step with me in February with his own Whole30 and I couldn't be prouder of him for branching out from his culinary comfort zone.  He started out disliking sweet potatoes and after several weeks has voluntarily included them in his food repertoire. 

This was a surprise win.  The first few times I made it, I made half a pan with yukon golds for him and half with sweet potatoes for me ... now I just do the sweets but you can go either way.  They both were delish.

Sweet Potato Beef Paprikash

 Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
3 sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/4″ thickness. Lay a single layer in a 9×13 pan. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add in the meat, browning it, then draining off extra fat.  Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 C. water, and seasonings and cook for a few minutes, stirring until everything is well combined. Pour a layer of meat over the sweet potatoes in the dish. Layer another layer of sweet potatoes, then meat, then potatoes, then meat, until everything is used up. For best results, a meat layer should be last.  Sprinkle another 1/4 C. of water over top.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

If you need to make more - you can easily bump this whole recipe up by 50% and it will still fit in the pan.  Amounts aren't precise - I've made it with as little as a pound and as much as three pounds of beef ... the seasonings flex nicely either way.

Good luck with leftovers - we seldom have any.  If you're lucky though - they reheat beautifully.

Props to Shanti Landon at LifeMadeFull for this winner!!!

Spicy Crockpot Minestrone ... without a crockpot, without pasta, without beans, and without rice

I stumbled upon this one during my first Whole30 and I think I've probably made it at least half a dozen times since then.  It was framed up as a crockpot Minestrone, but I've never actually made it that way.  It was an incredible inspiration though, for which I'll be eternally and deliciously grateful for.

What's shocking - and I mean SHOCKING - is that my husband really enjoys it.
A. He doesn't care for soups or stews.
B. He doesn't like zucchini, spinach, sweet potatoes. celery or most vegetables in general.

Stovetop "Crockpot Minestrone"

The funny thing to me about this (other than the fact that my husband devours it) is that it's both *totally* minestrone ... and so far from it.  Per my friend Wikipedia, "Minestrone is a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes."  Well - we've got vegetables for sure ... but no pasta, no rice, and no beans.  Let's keep going ... "There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season <love this!!>. It can be vegetarian, contain meat, or contain a meat-based broth. Angelo Pellegrini, however, argued that the base of minestrone is bean broth, and that borlotti beans (also called Roman beans) "are the beans to use for genuine minestrone.""  Well - again, we're forgoing the magical fruit - but I'm so happy Kendra posted her version.  I've made it my own.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Sweet Potato, diced
• 1 cup Carrots, diced
• 2 Celery Stalks, diced
• 2 Shallots, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 28 oz Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes w/ Juice
• 4 oz can organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup Frozen Spinach -or- 1 cup packed Fresh Spinach, chopped
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tbsp Turkish or Greek Oregano
• 1 tsp Basil
• 1 tsp Parsley
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 2 Zucchini Squash, diced
• 1-1/2 lb Sugar-free Ground Pork Chorizo Sausage
• Dash chipotle pepper - optional (the chorizo may add enough heat for you - taste it first)

Instructions

1. Put the prepared sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic in a large soup pot.
2. Pour in the chicken (or vegetable) broth.
3. Add the entire cans (including juice) of diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
4. Add the frozen spinach (no need to thaw and drain, just add it frozen).
5. Add in the oregano, basil, parsley, bay leaves, pepper, and salt.
6. Bring the whole pot to a boil, then reduce to simmer stirring occasionally.
7. While the pot is simmering, brown the chorizo, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon.
8. Once the pork is cooked through (no pink), drain the grease.  Add the meat to the pot and mix it all together.
9. Add the zucchini.  This is done last to prevent it from being totally mushy.
10. Cook until everything is done (the sweet potatoes are your tell tale).  
11. Check for seasoning and decide whether you want to add a dash of chipotle or cayenne.
12. Remove bay leaves before serving.  Makes great leftovers!

Super shout-out to Kendra Benson at OurPaleoLife who adapted it from the "Paleo Slow Cooking" book by Chrissy Gower!!  This is delicious.