Paleo Bacon Chili

I had a fun day today.  A friend of mine is in cosmetology school and she had a makeup competition today and needed a model.  The students were allowed to pick their own themes and my friend decided to make me into a Viking Opera Singer.

We had a blast all morning.  She did a great job and when it came time to announce the winners, my friend placed second with the makeup she did.  I think we had a real shot at first, but look at the top three in the next picture.

Isn't that little girl just the cutest thing ever?!  How could we possibly beat her?  Third place was very well done (even if this isn't the best picture.)  The fun part was the whole outfit I'm wearing is actually mine, except for the wig.  I'm so glad I was able to go help my friend out and take a little detour out of my normal routine.  Thankfully, my hubby was home to do school with the kids.  In good news, he got a job but doesn't start working until Nov 4th, so we've got a little time home with him.  In fact, he's taking #2 hunting tomorrow morning for the youth season.  Good times for them!

Tonight's meal was an easy one.  I started by taking 2 yams and slicing them in half and sticking them in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.  While they were cooking I started the chili.  In a good sized pot, I started cooking the bacon slices.  I then started dicing all my veggies.  By the time I was done the bacon was browned and almost crispy.  I added the veggies in and let them cook for a few minutes.  I then added the ground beef and spices.  I cooked the meat till it was cooked through then added all the tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Let that simmer together for a few minutes then serve over the yams.  

Verdict: YUM!  So easy and delicious.  Everyone liked this meal.  I got the recipe from PaleOMG and tweaked it. Not from necessity, but because I couldn't find fire roasted tomatoes and didn't defrost my green peppers in time to get them in.  I substituted some sun dried tomatoes that I rehydrated and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and just omitted the green pepper.  Easy enough to do and it tasted just fine to us.

PALEO BACON CHILI

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 yams, cut in half

6 slices of bacon, cubed

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 TBSP garlic powder

1 TBSP chili powder

2 TBSP paprika

2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

4 oz sun dried tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Split the yams in half, poke with a fork, and start baking them in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until they are tender.

2. Take the sun dried tomatoes and cut them up. Place in 4 oz of water to start to reconstitute them.

3. In a good sized pot, start cooking your cubed bacon.

4. While bacon is cooking, chop all your veggies.

5. When the bacon has browned and is a bit crispy, add the veggies (onion, pepper, garlic) to the pot.

6. Let that cook for a few minutes then add the ground beef and all the spices.

7. When the beef is browned, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes.

8. Mix everything up and cook for a while to let the flavors blend.  Cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

9. Place the yam in a bowl, pour some chili on top, and eat it.  Yum!