Paleo Chili

It's summer here in Oz and yet raining almost every day and I find myself making soups and stews...subconsciously I obviously think January means winter regardless of the temps outside.

So, here is a recipe for my paleo chili. Paleo because it fits into the Paleo Diet which I have been following for the last few years with a few modifications, ie. I still eat dairy though only in small amounts. Originally the hubs and I started this diet to get fit for our wedding and continued with it off and on and now we've gone back to it because of some medical issues regarding insulin. So now the paleo diet is an easy way for me to stay healthy.

Originally I found this on some paleo website but have changed it so much from the original that it is now mine.

So, without further ado.

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean hamburger meat

1/2 onion diced

1 green pepper chopped

mushrooms chopped (as many or few as you like)

2-3 hot peppers, jalapenos or habaneros diced (depending on spiciness you want/can tolerate)

6 cloves of garlic minced

1 big can whole tomatoes (not the 15 oz. ones, the bigger ones, what are they 20 oz? 24 oz? I'm in Oz where everything is in grams, so I don't have a can in the house to confirm =)

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

2 1/2 TBSP cumin

2 1/2 TBSP chili powder

pepper to taste

salt to taste

To Garnish:

sour cream

shredded cheese

onions (I use the other half of the onion I used in the recipe)

Brown meat and onion in large pot, add pepper to taste.

Add green pepper, mushroom, garlic and jalapenos and continue to cook for another 5 minutes just so the pepper and mushroom begin to soften.

Stir in the can of tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin and chili powder.

Add salt to taste.

I also have a tendency to add a bit of water here, I put some water in the tomato sauce can, just a 1/4-1/2 way full and pour it in as well.

Bring to a boil then put a lid on it and turn it down to simmer. Let it simmer for 1-4 hours (or longer if you like, it just intensifies flavors the longer it cooks).

Intermittently check the chili and stir and skim off any grease.

After your designated cook time, be it 1 or 4 hours, remove the lid and let it cook down on a low heat for another 20 minutes or so before serving just to thicken it a bit.

Add shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some raw diced onions for crunch.

I love making this and then putting it in the freezer, it's a fantastic surprise to not feel like cooking and opening up the freezer and realizing you have wonderful homemade chili that just needs to be reheated.

Serves 6-8

Enjoy!