Twisted Carrot Chili

We've been staying pretty busy around here with our new addition. I've been tearing through my freezer stash of pre-prepped meals, but this week I felt like getting back in the kitchen and doing some cooking. There is something very grounding to me about standing in front of my cutting board chopping away. I'm also realistic that with a toddler and newborn my kitchen time is going to be limited so I thought a nice way to ease back in would be a soup. I love soups; I don't care if it's 100oF outside, there is something so comforting about a big bowl of soup. My husband and I went back and forth about what to call this because while it certainly isn't chili, it really has the flavor of chili. You could add some black beans to this and I think it would pass. This recipe was born out of the random items we had in our fridge and pantry so feel free to play around with the ingredients. Enjoy!

Twisted Carrot Chili

Gluten Free
Serves 4
Adapted from this recipe

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2-3/4 lb carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium/large russet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbls homemade taco seasoning, you could sub just chili powder
6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 2 Tbls)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, add the ground beef and cook until browned.
2. Once the meat is done, remove it with a slotted spoon into a dish and reserve the oil for the next step. If you prefer you can drain off the oil and add your favorite cooking oil, if using conventionally raised meat this is probably a better option. If your beef was very lean and didn't produce a lot of oil then add 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
3. Add the chopped onions to the pot with the oil and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.
4. Stir in the chopped carrots, peeled and chopped potato, and taco seasoning.
5. Add the stock, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the veggies are tender.
6. Let the soup cool slightly off the burner, I gave it about 10 minutes, then blend. Either use an immersion blender directly in the pot or pour into a vented blender. I used a vented blender, be careful when blending hot liquids as sometimes they can shoot out of the top; you may need to do it in 2 batches.
7. Once the soup is blended, add the ground beef, salt, and lemon juice. 
8. Top with chopped cilantro to serve.

Notes and Substitutions

• You can use plain chili powder, or part chili powder and part paprika if you don't have a taco seasoning handy. I highly recommend the mix from Wellness Mama. I make big batches of it to keep around.
• I used grass-fed beef because the fats have been shown to be healthier, but you can use any kind of ground beef.
• To make this more like a chili add 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans at the end.
• If you do not care for potato or are looking to make this lower carb then try about 2 cups of cauliflower florets in place of the potato.

What is your favorite thing to do in the kitchen?