Paleo in PDX

Yes, a hot and hearty meal of grass-fed chili. Not what I’d normally make in the heat of summer, but Portland’s warm weather has been pretty hit or miss thus far. The past two days were hot, sunny and gorgeous, but today, it’s a been a bit cooler and gray with a few sprinkles. It made me crave the warmth and happy tummy feeling that chili yields. Plus, chili definitely falls under the simple meal category, making it today’s perfect ‘Simple Supper Friday’ meal.

Normally, I think of chili as a free rein meal, meaning that you really don’t need a recipe to make it. You can literally throw whatever sounds good into the pot. This time though, I used Everyday Paleo’s Bean-Less Chili recipe as a base and as usual, altered it to my liking. Here’s my take on the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 7 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered and chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp ghee
• 2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1 26.4 box Pomi chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen kale
• 2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
• Avocado slices, optional

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, melt the ghee and sauté the veggies for a couple minutes. Then, add the beef and brown.
2. Season the meat mixture with all of the spices.
3. Add the tomatoes, frozen kale and chicken broth and simmer for 35 minutes.
4. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Serve with avocado slices on top, if using.