In hindsight, I shouldn't have made chili this past weekend when the temps dropped here in north Florida, the first real cold front of the 2012 fall season.
See, my guy makes chili so good it should be patented, sold and enjoyed by the masses. But work has him very far away. Making chili on my own just made me miss him more, realizing I won't get any of his chili this fall or winter. #sigh.
The upside, though, is that it forced me to experiment a little with a chili recipe all my own. And the results were pretty damn good! Not as good as his, but that's kind of a given. Mine mixed spicy with sweet - ya' know, kinda like this girl's personality! Wink!
But seriously...Cocoa powder, cinnamon and butternut squash blended with spicy Italian sausage, grass-fed beef, red wine, chili powder, cumin, red pepper and cayenne pepper in my slow cooker for seven hours - resulting in a Paleo chili rich with complex, hearty flavor. I served it over spaghetti squash for a Paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb take on chili the way firemen like it. Sooooo good! Not to mention low in fat and high in protein!
And of course the best part is, I get to enjoy leftovers all week that get better with each bowl, as the flavors meld even more. Here's the recipe. I guarantee it will become a cold-weather favorite!
Cavegirl Eats' Badass Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb. grass-fed beef
- 2 large links spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1 cup diced butternut squash (I had half-baked it ahead of time)
- 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 each red and yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seed butter
- 1 shallot, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. cumin
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- Sea salt, black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Saute the shallots, peppers, beef and sausage in the coconut oil over medium-high heat until tender and meat loses some of its pink. Drain off the fat.
2. Place meat, shallots and peppers in slow cooker. Add in all of the remaining ingredients. Blend together.
3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Serve alone, over real spaghetti, or as I did over spaghetti squash.
Coming up: A Halloween "no fear" WOD and playlist, plus a core cross-training workout to make you stronger everywhere!