Best Chili Recipe

I have made so many different chili recipes over the years, which is wild to me because as a child I HATED chili. Really, really hated it. The smell of it cooking would make me gag. That was one of the meals that I was allowed to eat something else for dinner if Granny was making chili for dinner. That and Swedish Meatballs, which I still haven't tried since being a kid! ;)

This is your favorite chili that I made, along with the pumpkin chili recipe - which is in here too. There is a lot of chopping in the recipe, but it makes a ton, so great to freeze and reheat later or feed yourself for a week!

Ingredients
• 2 lbs Ground beef
• 1/4 cup Flat-leaf italian parsley
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Green bell pepper
• 2 Jalapeno peppers
• 16 oz Kidney beans
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 16 oz Pinto beans
• 28 oz Tomatoes
• 1 Yellow onion
• 15 oz Tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 4 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 46 oz Tomato juice
• 1 Cheese and sour cream

In a large deep pot, cook ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Drain excess grease from pot, but do not clean.

Add the olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, parsley and jalapeño peppers (if using, I usually didn’t so it wasn’t too hot for you and your sister) and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.

Add the cooked meat back to the pot. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans and pinto beans as well.

On the stove top, bring to a boil, dial back to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours (stir occasionally. Serve warm with cheese, sour cream and gluten free garlic bread.

Sweet Potato Bites

Trying to find gluten/dairy free appetizers can sometimes be a challenge. So many dips have cream cheese or sour cream and while there are dairy free versions of those, sometimes the taste is off. 

I actually loved these. Like, really loved them. Could have eaten the whole platter by myself loved them. Want to make them tomorrow so I can have more loved them. But I am a sweet potato fanatic.  great thing, my family loved them too.  Love guacamole and bacon makes everything good. How can combining them can go wrong?

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, cleaned, skins on

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 ripe avocados

Lime juice

Salt and Pepper

4 slices of bacon

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil on the aluminum foil.

Slice potatoes into 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices. You can use a mandolin but I just eye balled it and used a sharp kitchen knife. Arrange slices on the prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining olive oil. I think I used another 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, then flip. Roast an additional 8 minutes.

While your potatoes are roasting in the oven, make your guacamole. I just mash up the avocado, add lime juice/salt to taste.

Fry up your bacon slices – I started cooking the bacon after I popped the potatoes into the oven. Drain slices and chop once cooled.

Once your potatoes have finished roasting, put them on the plate you are serving them with. Place a dollop of guacamole and sprinkle the chopped bacon on top. Serve.