Quick and Easy Paleo Chili

It is February and cold out and I don't know about you, but nothing warms me up like a nice bowl of chili. If you know anything about paleo, then you know that strict Paleo does not allow legumes. The idea of chili without beans seems criminal to me - I love beans! As it turns out Texas Chili is known for not having beans so I thought I would give it a try. I was sure I would miss the beans and the chili just wouldn't be the same, but that didn't happen. I enjoyed the nice warm bowl of chili and never even missed the beans. This recipe turned out wonderfully delicious, but maybe a little on the spicy side so in the future I may adjust the spices depending on who I am cooking for.
The original recipe can be found on the Paleo Eats website.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 can organic tomatoes 14.5oz (petite-diced)

1 can tomato sauce (I added this because I wanted the chili to have more sauce)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3-4 tbsp chile powder

2 tsp dry oregano

1-2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a pan on medium heat, brown ground beef with chopped onion and minced garlic.

2. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and salt.

3. Bring the chili to a boil then simmer for 20 mins.

Enjoy! This recipe is definitely a keeper in my recipe box.

Chicken Taco Chili

I wanted to try another slow cooker recipe, so I found this Chicken Taco Chili Recipe from Skinny Taste.

I modified the original recipe slightly, but it turned out great!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 sm can of tomato paste --> I added this to thicken it
10 oz package frozen corn kernels --> I chose not to add this.
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 package (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

The picture shows two packages of chicken - I only used the one package of chicken breast though.


Directions:
Combine beans, onion, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours. Half hour before serving, shred chicken (I was able to do this without removing from slow cooker). Stir in in chicken.

Breaking in the New Crock Pot: Crock Pot Chili

My first slow cooker recipe was a chili recipe was from Skinny Taste
The original recipe is linked above, I modified it slightly.
Here is the Recipe: Crock Pot Turkey Chili

1 package fat free ground turkey breast
1 small onion, chopped
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 (15.5 oz) cans small red beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chili powder

Brown turkey and onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain any fat remaining and transfer to crock pot. Add the beans, chilies, chickpeas tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder mixing well. Cook on high 6-8 hours.

Finished dish turned out really well.

Topping: Reduced Fat Cheese for Topping

For storage, I then placed them into mason jars for freezing.