texas chili

Chili. It's one of my all-time favorite meals. When I was pregnant, I craved chili during my first trimester, despite it not being chili season. I love trying all kinds of chili, but admittedly, I can't handle too much heat.

My first time trying Texas Chili was at a chili cookoff at my work, where one of my co-workers entered her Texas Chili recipe (which didn't win) but stole my heart. Chili without beans? Unheard of. But Texas chili is so good you won't even miss the musical fruit.

My co-worker gave me her recipe, and it was quite involved because she's a great cook. Over the past couple years, I've simplified her recipe and made it my own. You'd think that a batch of chili involving 5 lbs of meat would last quite a while, but not in this house. This chili is so rich and meaty and good that you'll eat more than you imagined.

Texas Chili

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs beef brisket or shoulder
• 7 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
• 1.5 tbsp cumin (divided)
• 1 tbsp sea salt (divided)
• 1.5 tbsp chili powder (divided)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium white onions, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 3 jalepeno peppers, diced
• 3 serrano peppers, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 28 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 bottle gluten-free beer
• 1.5 cups water

1. Trim meat, then slice into roughly 1-inch cubes and place in mixing bowl.

2. Combine 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp sea salt and 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and massage into meat in bowl.

3. Sear beef in small batches in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes on medium high heat in dutch oven. Place batches in separate bowl for use later.

4. Using leftover oil and meat juices in pot, saute onions, poblano, jalapenos, serranos, bell pepper and 3 cloves of garlic for roughly 10 minutes.

5. Blend tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 tbsp of sea salt in blender until smooth, then add to pot.

6. Add 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, bottle of gluten free beer, 1.5 cups of water and previously seared meat.

7. Bring chili to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Delicious! I love the meatiness. If you like it spicier, increase the amount of peppers. Also, if you can't find the peppers listed, just use three different kinds of spicy peppers. I seem to use a different variation of peppers every time.

three homemade lara bar recipes

So, here's how it all went down. Wednesday, I made a batch of homemade Lara bars, sampled a small piece and thought the recipe was good. My husband comes home, bites off a big chunk and promptly expells it into the sink. I look at him like "Why in the world did you do that?" and, as he's hanging over the sink, he shoots back a glare like "Are you trying to kill me?"

Upon investigation, the dates I used weren't pitted. Oops. Regardless, I couldn't stop laughing at my mistake because his face was priceless.

Thank goodness the final product was well worth the possibility of a cracked tooth--easy for me to say, I know.

I came up with three different flavors based on the ingredients in the pantry: Coconut Cashew, Chocolate Cashew and Mocha. In the future, I want to try my hand at some fruit flavors, but we had no dried fruit in the house.

In my humble opinion, the one ingredient that sets these bars apart from Lara bars is the addition of salt. If Lara bars contained just a dash of salt to offset the sweetness of the dates, I'd be broke from likely chowing down on a couple a day.

I had a couple friends taste test these bars (and one friend who swears he hates Lara bars) and mine were very well received. Despite being a chocolate lover, my favorite flavor of the three is the Coconut Cashew. I plan to do some experimenting in the future, but this could make for a delicious paleo crust for an apple or pumpkin pie.

Creating these homemade bars is quite easy, even for self-proclaimed non-bakers out there. Simply, process all ingredients in a food processor until you get the texture you desire. Then, empty out onto wax paper and shape to your liking. I prefer to shape into approximately the size of a loaf pan, then use a pizza cutter to slice.

Coconut Cashew Bars

• 15 medjool dates, PITTED!
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extra
• up to 1/4 tsp sea salt

Chocolate Cashew Bars

• 12 medjool dates, PITTED!
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• up to 1/4 tsp sea salt

Mocha Bars

• 15 medjool dates, PITTED!
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup coffee beans
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• up to 1/4 tsp sea salt


"James, pose eating one of my Coconut Cashew bars."





"No, open your eyes. You look creepy."


"I give up."