Hearty Healthy Chili

It's almost time for the Super Bowl!!! We're not huge football fans in this house, but for some reason we usually end up hosting a Super Bowl party. On our 32 inch tiny TV! Haha! It's ok! It's more about the friendship for me anyway...oh, and the ads! I do love some good Super Bowl commercials!


Chili is an excellent meal to make for the big game. You can make it ahead of time and toss it in the crockpot, or just let it simmer on the stove and it's ready to go whenever you are!

There are SO many different chili recipes floating out there. I've made a LOT! But this one has been a keeper. I actually printed it out and put it in my recipe binder. Woah! That means it's a good one!

This recipe is a little different because it's a healthier version!

Healthy Chili....yeah, right?! And it tastes good?! Yes it sure does! And you know the best part? There are lots of veggies in there too, to...beef (hee hee) it up! :)

It's really pretty easy, but there are a bunch of ingredients! So get 'em all out, chop up your veggies and get ready to roll!

First, you'll need an onion, a green pepper, a few carrots and some minced garlic. Oh, and some ghee. Can't forget the ghee!

Melt a tablespoon of ghee in a large pan over medium high heat. Toss in your onion...stir stir stir...

Then add the peppers and carrots. Stir some more...

When the onions have turned translucent and your veggies have started to cook down a bit...

Add in a pound of ground beef. I like a little lower fat. The recipe was originally designed to use turkey. So you could easily substitute turkey or chicken for the beef. Cook the beef until it's browned.

Then add your dry spices and cook more. This helps the flavor of the spices to bloom, and come out!

Post 'blooming'... Yum!

Then toss the rest of the ingredients in and stir it up. Put a lid on and let it cook for an hour. Or just let it simmer all day

Enjoy! A perfect, healthy, hearty meal!

*********************************************************************************

Hearty Healthy Chili:

Ingredients

1 tsp ghee

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

2T chili powder

1T paprika

1t ground cumin

1 1/2t red pepper flakes (omit or reduce to decrease spice factor!)

1 15oz. can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup gluten free chicken broth

1 1/2T apple cider vinegar

1 15oz. can light red kidney beans, rinsed (or your favorite bean)

1/2t salt, to taste

1/8t black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add carrots and pepper and stir until softened slightly. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Push vegetables to the side and add ground beef. Cook until browned, making sure to break up the lumps as it cooks.

Add chili powder, paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes (optional). Saute for 2 minutes to allow the spices to bloom. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar (don't breathe in the steam!) and kidney beans. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour. Or transfer to a crockpot and let it cook all day on low.