Venison Chili

For those of you who know me, you know that I don't eat red meat, and haven't since I was about 10 years old.  However, this Whole30 challenge has really made me want to be more adventurous with my protein choices.  My friend Jess' dad hunts deer pretty regularly, so she has a freezer full of venison.  She was nice enough to give me some ground venison.  I decided to make a chili with it because red meat still freaks me out a little, so I figured I could disguise it a bit.  Well, I can now add venison to the list of proteins that I'll eat.  I adapted this recipe from a recipe on Food.com

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. Ground Venison
• 1 Large Vidalia Onion, chopped
• 3 Bell Peppers (I used yellow, red, and green), chopped
• 1, 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1, 28 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 3 Tbsp. Cumin
• 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper

Instructions:

• Brown the venison in a stock pot
• Add the onion and peppers and saute until softened
• Add the rest of the ingredients
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour

Paleo Pumpkin Chicken Chili

This coming week, I'm trying to eat 100% Paleo just to see how I feel.  I will most likely find myself missing carbs and dairy, but I'm curious to see how it may change my digestion/weight.  This was super easy to put together, and the flavors came together deliciously.

Ingredients:

• 3lbs. chicken breasts, cubed
•  2 cups of red onion, diced
•  2 cups bell pepper, diced (color of choice)
• 1 can chopped green chili peppers
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine (optional)
• 1, 28 ounce can diced tomatoes in their juices
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
•  3 cups canned pumpkin pure
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil

Instructions:

Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Sauté onions until lightly browned, then add bell peppers, chili peppers, and garlic and sauté for another 5 minutes. 

Add in chicken, chicken stock, white wine, organic tomatoes, organic tomato paste, chili powder, pumpkin pie spice, coriander, salt, and cinnamon stick and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in pumpkin and cocoa powder and cook for an additional 20 minutes.