Category: meat

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Traditional and Easy Beef Chili

This beef and bean chili gets better the longer it simmers and it is even better the next day, but if you are in a pinch it could be ready in as little as 45 minutes of stewing. It goes great served with rice or fresh homemade cornbread. I also love an excuse to use my homegrown green peppers, hot peppers and green onion.

I just found out I am borderline anemic, which is no surprise because probably about 50% of pregnant women are low in iron stores. So inevitably I have to go on iron supplements. But I am really hoping that I can put a little more effort into consciously increasing iron in my diet so I can reduce the amount of iron supplements, and thus those pesky side effects. (Yeah that one, the one that increased fiber helps with).

So, I bought some beef, rounded up some beans and made a big pot of chili. The heme iron from the beef and the non-heme iron from the beans will both have enhanced absorption from the vitamin C in the tomatoes. Just make sure not to put too much cheese on there because calcium inhibits iron absorption.

In a perfect world I would throw lots more veggies in here, green beans and kale and carrots and and and! But my husband would not tolerate such an nontraditional chili so — that’s why this one is simply called Traditional and Easy Beef Chili. Made with many ingredients you are likely to have on hand. Enjoy!

Traditional and Easy Beef Chili

This is a easy, traditional beef chili recipe sure to please any beef and bean lover.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 0 people
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef grass-fed
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 tbsp chopped garlic
  • ~14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • ~14 oz can pureed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth or chicken, or veggie, whatever you have
  • 3 tbsp chili powder mix
  • 1 medium green onion
  • 2 cans kidney beans rinsed!, or black or pinto beans, or mixture
  • 1 small hot pepper or a few dashes of cayenne, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, optional of course!
  • 1 large green pepper chopped
  • 2 tsp salt or more to taste, start with 1 1/2 and taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Brown beef, onion, garlic and 1 tbsp chili powder until beef is cooked through
  • Drain fat if there is excess
  • Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil
  • Turn to low-med heat and simmer 1-1½ hours stiring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to bottom.
  • Season with salt and pepper and serve hot over rice with sour cream, green onion, cheese and avocado!
Keyword Beans, Big Island Beef
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Pumpkin & Ginger Beef Stew

It has been a while since I have made this ginger beef stew for my hunny. For some reason I was re-inspired. Maybe it was the fresh shipment of Big Island Beef stew sent to my corner grocery store here in Pāpaʻaloa. I used to make this ginger & squash version of beef stew almost weekly for my hunny. My method is pretty dialed. I hope you find this recipe easy to follow. It is pretty forgiving. The most important part is that you cook the beef long enough. If you use tamari instead of soy sauce, and a gluten-free thickener this recipe is gluten-free and dairy free.

Ingredients for Pumpkin & Ginger Beef Stew

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound grass-fed beef stew meat
  • 3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot, sliced in whole, thin rounds
  • 1 medium onion roughly chopped
  • 1-2 inches thick ginger, peeled and chopped in big slices
  • about ½ cup dry red wine
  • ½ medium size tropical winter squash like Kabocha.
  • 2 potatoes, washed, skinned, quartered and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons organic soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • salt and pepper
  • about 2 tablespoons flour or thickener of your choice (I alternate with whatever is closest to reach – tapioca starch, cassava flour, rice flour)
  • fresh herbs of your choice – I use whatever I have growing which right now was rosemary, oregano, stick thyme, and parsley. I skipped the basil because the others were more potent spices when cooked down.
  • 2 Hawaiian chili peppers if desired

(optional: more veggies like red pepper, herbs, green beans, peas, etc).

Steps for Ginger Beef Stew with Pumpkin

  1. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger until aromatic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot
  2. Add stew meat and stir consistently until the meat starts to brown
  3. Once browned and sticking to bottom, deglaze pot with ¼ cup red wine and scrap brown bits until pot is clean.
  4. add 6 cups of water bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat and bring to simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water as need to keep the beef stew submerged.
  6. add the squash in one whole piece and potatoes quartered
  7. simmer another 30-45 minutes until beef begins to fall apart
  8. add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  9. add salt and pepper to taste
  10. stir in fresh herbs and finish for another 10 minutes, making sure beef is tender and easy to cut in half with fork.
  11. Remove some of the broth and taste it for flavor. Then, stir in 1-2 tablespoons flour with a whisk into hot broth to dissolve.
  12. Add flour broth mixture to pot and allow to thicken for a few minutes before removing from heat.

Enjoy over a scoop of rice!

If you like this recipe maybe you will be interested in my Big Island Beef Shepards Pie.

 

 

 

 

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Paleo Baked Meatballs with Fresh Herbs

On top of spaghetti, All covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball, When somebody sneezed. I love this little rhyme, it makes me smile every time I make meatballs. The below baked meatballs recipe was created when I went on a brief paleo diet. It features coconut flour or almond flour instead of wheat flour to thicken the meatballs.

Another special part of this recipe is that they are baked.  I started making my meatballs baked instead of pan-fried because it requires much less attention than constantly turning them in a pan. This means you will plenty of time to prep a nice big salad to accompany your meal :)

Also, key to this recipe is the use of a lot of herbs. I think using fresh is the best way to go. I highly recommend growing a few of your herbs own for the amazing difference in flavor and nutrients that these so many recipes benefit from. If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use dried herbs, just scale back to 1-2 teaspoons total depending on the herbs you use and their strength.

I also recommend using grass fed beef.  Look for 100% grass-fed beef that has no unnecessary added antibiotics and hormones.

You can try serving these meatballs with my chunky basil and garlic tomato sauce and manchego cheese. My favorite accompaniment is spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash with pale meatballs and homemade sauce is the perfect dinner to treat your family and friends to. It is gluten-free and includes so many beautiful veggies, nutrients and proteins. Check out my basic cooking instructions for  spaghetti squash. 

Recipe for Paleo Baked Meatballs with Fresh Herbs

Yield: About 15 meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound grass fed beef (or bison!)
  • 1/4 cup onion diced or minced
  • 1 small garlic clove chopped, minced or pressed to preference
  • 1-2 large handfuls of fresh herbs chopped (basil, rosemary, parsley, oregano, etc.)
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/2 cup organic gluten-free almond flour  or coconut flour for paleo diet (or you can substitute other gluten-free flours or try a flour blend being careful that none of them dominate the flavor too much). Alternatively, you could just use regular white flour.
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or a little more to taste
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. In medium bowl, beat egg, add onion, garlic and herbs.
  3. Add ground beef and mix well.
  4. Add flour and mix well (a few heaping tablespoons at a time so that you can mix it evenly).
  5. Form into 1 to 1 and ½ inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets or shallow pans and place in oven.
  6. Turn every 10 minutes for 25-40 minutes until cooked to your tastes (e.x. medium-well).