Chicken Carrot "Chili"

I do no not get to indulge in my favorite fall food right now… CHILI. I love everything about it- mostly that it never has to be (or realistically CAN be) made the same way twice. I spruce it up with different beans, chunky tomatoes, chicken vs. beef, spicy seasonings and flavors. Are you drooling yet?

So we can’t have that here on the AIP Paleo 30 day test… or possibly again for quite a while. So let’s quit the whines (myself included) and find a replacement. I saw somewhere the recipe to make faux ketchup with carrots. I have not given that a whirl yet, but I figure maybe I can make carrots take on the chunky texture of beans or tomatoes from a chili. Since there are no grain or legumes involved, we need to find other ways to get a stew-like soup. You really can use as many vegetables as you want, but since peas are A-OK, I use them, along with others, for bean-like texture.

Just like chili, you add what you like. This means this soup can take on as many forms as you like. Remember the Crockpot Chicken recipe I posted last week? That is relevant here!

You need: blender wand or potato masher (or a really good whisking arm), large pot, sauté pan.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts (crock pot, shredded)
1 lb of carrot sticks (or baby carrots), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 C Chicken broth
1 C water
1 C coconut milk (optional, but I like that it gives a creamier texture)
½ Large yellow onion, diced
3 C green sweet peas (frozen works great here!)
2 C chopped broccoli
½ head of cauliflower
1 T coconut oil
1 T minced garlic (or 5 cloves of fresh- peeled & diced)
2 T Cumin (more if you like the heat)
Sea Salt, Pepper (peppercorn medley from Trader Joe’s in my favorite), basil, a dash of cinnamon (very optional, but I think it warms up the flavor), anything else that is AIP friendly!

Directions:
In a large stew pot, throw in your chopped carrot sticks, chicken broth, and water. Bring this to a boil and reduce to medium heat, covered, until carrots are soft.

In a sauté pan cook the onions, garlic, and cauliflower in your coconut oil until soft and browned. Season with S&P to taste.

Using a blender wand, blend the soft cooked carrots in the liquid until you reach a desired texture. I do not mind it thick, but if it’s too thick to be appealing to you, add more water (1/4 C at a time) and blend (repeat until desired texture). Reduce heat to low. Add your peas, broccoli, and the sautéed onion/cauliflower/garlic mix – including the extra oil. Add your spices and seasonings to the mix, and keep on low heat for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste along the way to check your spiciness – get creative and add more of what you think it needs. Add your shredded chicken for another 10 minutes.

Serve:
I like to serve this with half an avocado chopped up and some cilantro with an additional shake of the sea salt. It makes it feel more like chili to me. Since tortilla chips aren’t going to be on your food list, try some sweet potato chips or plantain chips in advance, so they’re easily attainable to dip into your “chili”.

This feast will be giant. You can probably get 6-7 large servings out of this. Feedback or other recommendations are always welcome!