Happy Holidays!  See you in 2012!

• Friday, December 23rd, 2011
• by Carol

Holiday Challenge - Day 39 and Go Gluten-Free for January!  It's super-easy!  Shoot me an email if you need help or recipes...

Wishing all of you the happiest of holidays and a prosperous and better you 2012!  We'll see you bright and early on January 2, 2012!

Melissa Joulwan hosts the blog, The Clothes Make The Girl, where you can find all sorts of great recipes and inspiration...Check it out!  Here is her recipe for her yummy chili...

Mel’s Favorite Chili:

Ingredients:
the base:
2 tablespoons of your favorite fat: olive oil, coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, veal, bison, or a mix)
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spices:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
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liquids:
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire-roasted.)
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can beef broth
12 oz. water

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute ’til soft. Add garlic and let heat ’til fragrant, about 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Add the meat and sauté until browned and crumbled.

2. Blend all the spices in a small bowl. Add to pot and stir well, about 1 minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well.

4. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the pot has a gentle simmer. SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not skimp on the simmer. Just as rest time is the magic time when you build your strength, simmering is the magic time when the flavors meld.

Variations:
Add additional quality fats with some chopped black olives, green olives, or avocado slices (or all three!).

Add more veggies by serving over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash, grated zucchini, or baby spinach leaves.