Crockpot Chili (Paleo)

Good morning!  Now that I've filled my belly with a delicious breakfast and got a little coffee in me to wake me up I'm ready to tackle the day.  Today is the day... the day Julie and I get to cook together and I can't be more excited!  More about that later... right now I want to tell you about the awesome crockpot chili I made last night... well I put it together yesterday morning and ate it last night!  It's paleo style which means no beans in this chili.  Wondering what the heck you put in chili if you don't have beans?  I'll tell you... veggies!  I know I know... you're probably thinking you don't want something like chili, which is delicious and hearty, to be ruined by more veggies but I dare you to try it.  You'll be shocked by how good it is!

I changed a few things in this chili to make it work with what I had.  I used ground turkey instead of grass fed beef (which I love by the way just had turkey I needed to use), I added carrots, and didn't use bacon fat... just Olive Oil. Contemplated adding zucchini but I decided I'd need it for those muffins I made yesterday too!  I'm pretty sure sweet potatoes would rock in this recipe too... next time?  We've found that chipotles and sweet potatoes are an awesome combination, just so you know!

Crockpot Chili (Paleo)
Adapted from Free Range Human

Ingredients

• 2lbs grass-fed ground beef
• 1 Tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28oz)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from can – make sure they are wheat-free), sliced  (I used the whole can and it was pretty dang spicy, you could just use the adobo sauce or just use a few of the chipotles from the can to get the flavor without all the crazy heat)

Instructions

1. Heat bacon fat (or olive oil) in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and onion; saute until tender but do not burn.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until about medium (just long enough to brown most of the meat).
4. Once browned, add meat/garlic/onion mixture to the crock-pot.
5. In no particular order, add in the celery, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cacao powder, chipotle peppers (if used) and spices.
6. Stir all ingredients well and set Crock-Pot to low and cook for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve and enjoy!

 ~ Melissa