Vitamin “C” hili!
This is Chili the way Chili was intended…made with real Chilies!! I’m not really sure how modern chili morphed into a beef, tomato and bean stew typically made with no Chilies at all… except for maybe a little chili powder or paprika for spice. But who cares because now you have a recipe for the REAL thing! And you will never turn back!
You can make this smokin hot or pretty mild depending on the types of chilies you use.
Vitamin C
Chili peppers and peppers in general are very high in vitamin C! In fact, vitamin C was first isolated by a scientist named Albert Szent-Gyorgyi. While he was studying the effects of vitamin C he ran out of his supply (which came from the adrenal glands of animals) so being in the Paprika capital of Hungary, he decided to test the local peppers for vitamin C content and found that they were loaded with vitamin C! In less than a week he was able to isolate plenty of pure vitamin C from the peppers to be able to continue with the research and enough to share with other researchers.
- Vitamin C enables the body to efficiently use carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
- Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant
- It is necessary for the growth and health of bones, teeth, gums, ligaments, and blood vessels.
- Vitamin C also plays a key role in the formation of collagen
Hot Peppers can be Anti inflammatory???
Chilies also contain Capsaicin which can, despite its irritating nature, be anti- inflammatory and pain relieving. Surprisingly for myself, red peppers calm inflammation in my tummy! Capsaisin is also said to have an effect on certain receptor sites in your brain which can produce a euphoric type feeling which is why people claim chilies are addicting. Hence the term “Chili Head”.
I personally believe that to be true;) I made this chili so hot one time that I had to take a bite of sour cream after every mouthful just to cool off my tongue. I was soooo hot but I couldn’t stop eating it now matter how much it hurt!
Nightshades
Peppers are part of the Nightshade family of vegetables. If you suffer from an autoimmune disorder, you might want to be careful with peppers as this family of veggies can sometimes trigger unwelcome immune responses.
Dish Up and Enjoy!
With all of the beneficial properties of the chili peppers, the addition of healthy fat and protein from the grass fed beef, the hydration factor from the water and good trace minerals from the sea salt…this is one Nutritionally Packed meal! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Ingredients
- 1 lb grass-fed organic ground pork or beef
- 1 cup black beans (soaked overnight)
- 6 oz dried chili peppers (look for heat level on bag) I used mild California Chillis
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp good quality himalayan or celtic sea salt or more... to taste
- 1/2 tsp of cumin
- 1 tbsp Ghee or Grass fed butter
- 1 tbsp Rice Flour
- Rubber gloves
- Blender
Instructions
- Rinse peppers really well and put into a large bowl. Cover with water and let soak for 30-45 minutes to reconstitute. I like to put a few drops of grapefruit seed extract (GSE) in the soaking water to kill off unfriendly microbes that may have grown on the peppers during storage.
- While peppers are soaking, heat up a medium to large heavy bottom pot and brown up your meat. Season with S&P. Do not cook to death...a little pink in places is ok. It’s going to cook more in the chili later.
- Remove meat from pot and set aside (do not drain, we want the fat!).
- In the same pot add your butter and onions. Season with S&P and sauté over medium heat until translucent.
- Add two cloves of the garlic (chopped) and sauté 1 more minute. Turn off burner and remove from heat.
- Now it’s time to get your gloves on! Drain your peppers and give them a final rinse. Now that they are soft it will be easy to pop off the stems. I usually tear them down the center and scrape out the majority of the seeds. The more seeds & veins you leave in the hotter your chili will be. That’s ok with me!
- Fill your blender cup about halfway with chilies (you will need to work in batches) add the remaining two cloves of garlic (raw) then add water. Enough to cover the chilies and to about ? of the way to the top of your blender cup. Make sure lid is secured and whirl away. You want the chilies to be completely pureed so let them blend 2 to 3 minutes in a normal blender. (Note: Your blender cup will probably never look the same after this) If you’re using a fancy high powered blender you won’t need to blend that long.
- Once the peppers are liquefied, pour into your pot over the sautéed onions and garlic and repeat until all of the peppers are blended and added to the pot.
- Add your soaked / rinsed black beans, ground meat, cumin, Rice flour (or substitute) and salt to the pot. Stir and gently heat on low heat for 45 minutes. Do not boil!
- Having the right amount of salt is key in this chili so don’t be afraid to adjust if it needs more. That’s why we’re using the good stuff!
- Serve with a dollop of your cool sour cream to balance the heat and decorate with your choice of toppings...Cilantro, Diced Onion, Diced Tomatoes, Avocado, Lime, Sour Cream (I’ve used kefir made from heavy cream before YUM! Or Greek yogurt), Grated Raw Milk Cheese
- Even better the next day...Leftovers make for a delicious breakfast served with eggs!!!
Post By: Hollie Donelson, NTP
Happy Tummies of The Lowcountry, LLC
Bluffton/Hilton Head, SC
843-227-1042
References:
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/szentgyorgyi.html
https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/retrieve/Narrative/WG/p-nid/149
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin
Please note. I am not a Doctor. The content on this site is not intended as medical advice. Always check with your doctor before starting any type of health or nutritional protocol especially if you are being treated for or have been diagnosed with a medical condition.