One major criticism of the Paleo diet is its supposed lack of variety. When I was doing the Whole30, I had a lot of people ask me if I got tired of eating meat and vegetables all the time. My response to them was a very definite no. I cooked more flavorful food than I ever had in my lifetime even within the confines of the Paleo diet.
This was made possible by my exploration of spices. One of my favorite Christmas presents (besides my crockpot, which will always be number one in my heart) was a basket full of jars of spices. Although the initial investment was expensive, I think that they are well worth the money for how much use I get out of them on a daily basis.
Side note: If you're worried about the price of spices, I recommend buying them in bulk or buying spices such as cinnamon or cloves in their whole form, then grinding them yourself with a tool such as this microplane grater.
You can do so much with spices, but one of my favorite uses of spices is chili. There are a lot of kinds of chili there are, some of them with more spices than others, but I've found that I generally like ones that are flavor-packed.
Each time I make chili, I try out different recipes, different combinations of recipes, and random ideas that come into my head. After many variations (some better than others), I've settled on this one as my favorite. Its super rich and flavorful, fairly thick in consistency, and has a hell of a lot of meat. Mmmmmmmm...
My recommendation to you is to look over the ingredient list and play around with it according to your taste buds. I've found that these spices work particularly well together, but go ahead and add/subtract anything to your heart's desire.
What you'll need:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or bacon fat
- if you make bacon in the process, just put that in the chili, too... I dare you
- 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
- 3 pounds meat (I use a combination of ground beef and pork cut into cubes, but you do you)
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 3 Tbs chili powder
- 2 Tbs ground cumin
- 2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (don't freak out, it doesn't taste like chocolate... the cocoa powder just makes it extra rich)
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- salt to taste (about 1 tsp, but it depends on the type of meat you choose)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes (make it two cans if you really like tomatoes)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth
- 1 cup water
What you'll need to do:
1. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the bacon fat (or coconut oil or any other oil). When the oil is melted, add the onions and stir with a wooden spoon and cook until they’re translucent, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, then as soon as it’s fragrant (30ish seconds), crumble the meat into the pan with your hands, mixing with the wooden spoon to combine. Continue to cook the meat, stirring often, until it’s no longer pink. Pour into crock pot (or soup pot on low), draining most of the grease first.
3. Add the tomato paste, beef broth, water, and chopped tomatoes to crockpot and cook for 30 minutes on high.
4. In a small bowl, combine all of the spices with a fork. Pour them into the crock pot and stir like you mean it. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer for lots of hours. I usually shoot to let it sit for at least 6, but less will work if need be.
This recipe gets better and better as it sits in the fridge and the flavors all mush together, so make a double batch if you want yummy leftovers around the house! (just make sure it all fits in the crockpot, first...)
Source for the picture and Well-Fed 2 recipe.
Video goodie of the day: Anyone else out there a Pokemon fan? It's ok if you're too embarrassed to say yes, but I think I've found my dream job. Thank you, Google.
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