From as far back as I can remember, I always had a problem with beans of most kind. I have tales from kindergarten about the chick pea situation in one of the soup they served weekly and how I had to negotiate a tolerable ratio for my bowl with the cook – the agreement was a single chick pea per bowl, but I had to actually eat it in front of an educator… it was an event every week -_-

Turned out I find legumes as undesirable in chili than in soup. Yet I like chili – how comforting it is in winter, how the spiciness helps with congestion, how it is full of flavor and how deep and complex this flavor can be. And just the process of making chili… it’s a bit like brewing a potion. I was therefore really glad when I heard Dr Sheldon Cooper say that real chili does not contain beans. AH!

In its bean-less form, chili happens to be a fantastic paleo meal that can be prepared in advanced and stored for these lazy days when you feel just like ordering pizza.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lb beef (chuck, tenderloin) in small cubes (I don’t know much about meat cut… I just bought cubed beef for braising, and re-cubed them smaller)
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp chili peppers flakes
• 1 tbsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 2 cans (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes (or 1 can crushed, 1 can whole or diced tomatoes… I just prefer the texture of all crushed tomatoes)
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 bell peppers, chopped

Instructions

In a large pot over high heat, add half of the oil (1/4 cup). When the oil is hot, add cubed meat and brown on all sides. Remove browned cubes from the pot and set aside.

Combine remaining olive oil (1/4 cup), ancho chili powder, chili peppers flakes, cumin seeds, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and chipotle peppers in blender or food processor and blend about 30 seconds, until it looks like a paste.

Return your large pot to medium heat and cook ground meat until it’s nicely browned.

Add onions and seasoning paste to the beef and cook until the onions are slightly translucent.

Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer and cook until stock is slightly reduced.

Add in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped pepper and browned cubed meat.

Stir all ingredients and simmer for about 2 hours.

Eat what you can and store the rest!

Adapted from the book Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie & Charles Mayfield.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale (about 5 oz), rinsed and dried
• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Optional-but-highly-recommended chili cumin seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 300°F.

In a small bowl, mix together the sea salt, ground pepper, cumin and chili powder – if you decide to go for it. Set aside.

Prepare the kale by cutting away the stems and though center ribs. You can use bags of pre-cut kale, but there’s still though bits that need to be remove.

Place into a large bowl and coat evenly with olive oil.

Sprinkle the seasoning and mix until the seasoning is well-distributed.

Lay evenly on a baking sheet. You don’t want to overcrowd the baking sheet, but the kale will shrink pretty quickly in the oven, so…

Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the kale is crispy and lightly brown.

Put in a bowl and enjoy your healthy snack!

This recipe also makes a great side (instead of potato chips or french fries… or rice or anything) and can be conserved up to 3 days in an airtight container – although I’m not sure it’s humanly possible to make it last that long.

Adapted from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen.

These are my favorite cookies – simple to make with few ingredients and literally melts in the mouth. No flour, but full of creamy almond butter and good chunks of dark chocolate. These are money.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well (I love using crunchy almond butter, for more texture)
• ¾ cup Sucanat (can be substituted with brown sugar)
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped (I use Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, mix together almond butter, Sucanat, egg, baking soda and sea salt until blended.
3. Stir in the chocolate chunks. It may seem like a lot of chocolate at first, but the ratio is perfect…
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls on a baking sheets.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Let cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes – they’ll be fragile right out of the oven, do not move to plate or wire rack immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

The bowls are Buddha Bowls from Flavour Design Studio. They make everything taste better.

Ingredients

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 garlic cloves, passed through a garlic press (separate)
1 chicken breast
6 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
2 tbsp lime or lemon zests (or both)
Vermicelli (it will take less than a package)

Vegetables (to taste)

Bok choy, chopped
Shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
Carrots, cut in julienne
Broccoli florets

Garnish (optional)

Green onions, trimmed and chopped
Fried onions

Preparation

Preheat the stove at 425 °F.

In a resealable plastic bag combine the soy sauce, honey and one of the garlic cloves and mix well. Add chicken breast, close the bag, and let marinate for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.

Put the marinated chicken breast on a baking sheet and place in the stove for 15 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large enough saucepan. Add the ginger, the lemon/lime zests and the other garlic clove. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the vegetables and vermicelli noodles. Don’t cook for too long; the vegetables are best when still a bit crunchy and the noodles require very little cooking time.

Serve the soup in large bowls and top with slices of chicken breast. Garnish with scallions and fried onions.