Sunday, March 11, 2012

Slow Cooker Chili (GAPS-legal : primal)

(I've moved! You can see this recipe on my new website here!)

This chili recipe is a great mix of meat, beans, and plenty of veggies. It gets thrown together early in the day, and by dinner time it is ready. We like to top it with cheese, sour cream, and fresh avocado, but it is also great without any garnish at all. This recipe is loved by adults and kids-alike in our house.

Slow Cooker Chili
Serves 6-8
  • 8 oz dried white navy beans, soaked 12-24 hours in filtered water with a sprinkle of baking soda, then rinsed well and drained
  • 1 & 1/2 medium white onions, chopped 
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 2 cups chicken or beef broth, preferably homemade
  • 28-oz diced tomatoes with juice, preferably homemade (or Pomi brand, which is BPA-free)
  • 1 pound ground beef, preferably from a pastured animal
  • celtic sea salt and pepper
  • 1.5 Tb plus 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, divided in half
  • 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 2 Tb butter
  • OPTIONAL for spiciness (I leave these out since the kids don't like spicy food): 1-2 chopped jalapenos (you can use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds, and some of the spiciness will go with them; don't touch the inside with your fingers or they will burn for days!)
  • OPTIONAL garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, chopped avocado
  1. Soak the beans for 12-24 hours in filtered water with a sprinkle of baking soda, then rinse well and drain.
  2. Put the beans, chopped veggies, and garlic into a slow cooker (or oven-safe pot). Crumble the ground beef on top. Add the broth and tomatoes.
  3. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  I used about 5 tsp celtic sea salt initially since my broth and tomatoes do not have any salt in them.
  4. Then sprinkle with 1.5 Tb cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp chili powder.  Reserve the remaining spices for shortly before dinner.
  5. Add the butter and roughly stir it all together. 
  6. Put the lid on, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 6-8 hours (or place the oven-safe pot into the oven set on 225 degrees for about 8 hours).
  7. About 30-60 minutes before dinner, add the remaining 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1/4 tsp chili powder.  Stir, then check the saltiness and add more if needed.
  8. At dinner time, ladle into bowls, top with optional cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, and/or avocado.  Enjoy!
This post is part of Monday Mania!

12 comments:

Laura said...

Mmmm I love chili!! I haven't made any in a while either and have used up all my reserves from the freezer. I guess I better start making some more! This recipe looks really yummy too. I love adding anaheim peppers and my secret indredient, smoked paprika. I also love using kidney beans and black beans. Okay, it hasn't even been that long since lunch, and I am hungry again!

Sarah Smith said...

That sounds delicious, Laura. I used to use a combination of kidney beans and pinto beans pre-GAPS (of course, now we can only use white beans, but they are still super tasty). Mmmm, I used to make a black bean soup with green chilies too. Now I'm hungry too!

Vicki Arnold said...

I don't know why, but every time I try to use the Print Friendly to print one of your recipes, the ingredient lists do not print, just the directions. No clue why, since the intro to the post prints just fine.

Sarah Smith said...

Well that stinks! It does the same on my computer. I'll look into it to see if I can get something that works better! Thanks for letting me know.

Julie McAllister said...

I just made this (sans bell peppers) and took a little bite to test....Yumm!!! BUT I have the same problem with trying the Print Friendly version...no ingredients.

ts said...

Hi Sarah - just curious, where did you find out that black beans are not GAPS legal? I was unsure until now.

Sarah Smith said...

I believe it says so in the GAPS book, although my book has been leant to a friend so I can't double-check. You can also see on this list that only white navy beans are on the recommended food list, and all others are on the avoid list.
http://www.gutandpsychologysyndrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/GAPS-Diet-Foods.pdf

Anonymous said...

Sarah, do you brown the ground beef first or just add it raw to the slow cooker? Thanks!

Sarah Smith said...

Nope, I don't brown it. Just add it raw to the pot!

Anonymous said...

Wow, thanks for the quick reply; I am trying this today here in Chiang Mai Thailand. I was going to brown just I case, but now I don't have to dirty an extra skillet.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, what kind of slowcooker do you use?

Sarah Smith said...

Originally I had a Crock-Pot; after many years and many uses, the liner cracked. Now I have a Hamilton Beach. They definitely cook differently, because with a Crock-Pot, the temperature it reaches in the same whether set on Low or High, it just takes much longer to reach that temperature on Low. With my current Hamilton Beach slow cooker, the Low setting is a lower temperature that just gives the merest trace of a simmer, while the High setting gets a full boil going.