Paleo Chili (Good Enough To Post Twice)

Chili Recipe

Initially this recipe was posted to the non-paleo blog a while back, but seeing as we now have a separate blog specifically for recipes I find it fitting to repost this...

It just so happens to be one of my favorite paleo recipes to date. It's great for those busy weekends where you just want to throw ingredients together and hope for the best come dinner time. Just yesterday Kyle and I made a double batch to last us through the week as leftovers. (Chili almost always tastes better after the first day, which is why it makes fabulous leftovers)

Ingredients

6 slices of uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces
1 Green pepper (chopped)
1 Red pepper (chopped)
1 pkg bella sliced mushrooms
1 Zucchini (chopped)
1 Yellow onion (chopped)
3 14 oz cans diced tomatoes- we like to use two cans of fire-roasted and one standard. (No Salt Added) Be sure to check ingredients (Trader Joes are paleo if you shop there)
1 15oz can Tomato sauce
1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef (grass fed preferably)
4 cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Cumin
2 Tbs Chili Powder
1 tsp Smoked Paprika (this tends to be expensive but is so worth it) (or more to taste)
1 Tbs Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Oregano
3/4 Cup beef broth

(We like to add Grass Fed Sirloin Tips to our chili as well but this is purely optional)

First cook bacon in a large skillet on medium- high. You want it to be brown and slightly crispy, but not burnt to a crisp.

Remove cooked bacon from skillet, and drain on a paper towel, reserving bacon fat in a separate container to be used later.

Next toss chopped vegetables with 1 Tbs of the bacon fat, and cook in a separate large skillet on medium high. Do not overcrowd the skillet... you want your veggies to soften slightly and the onions to become translucent.

While the veggies are sauteing add another Tbs of bacon fat back into the skillet you first cooked the bacon in, and brown your meat with the garlic. Again, don't overcrowd the skillet, you want to brown the meat not steam it. (If you opted to go with adding the sirloin tips at this point you will need to brown those as well, just as you did the ground beef)

Remove meat from skillet with a slotted spoon and mix the bacon pieces in either a crock pot or a stock pot. Then add the cooked vegetables, along with the canned tomatoes and sauce. Next add your spices.

Bring everything to a boil for a few minutes on medium, then reduce to low, partially covered for at least a few hours to let the flavors develop.

We tend to cook our chili for at least four to five hours... but like I said it's always better the next day so typically the longer the better with this one. ENJOY!!!!