Bison Chili

This is my most popular primal recipe.  It's actually the recipe I suggest people make if they're even considering going Paleo.  I came across it at the Paleo Plan.  It's super easy and absolutely delicious (even without those old chili stand-bys - beans).  You can make this chili in any big pot but I always like to make my chilis (yes, I have more than one) in a cast-iron dutch oven.  And don't be turned off by the bison.  It tastes just like beef and ground bison is available at most standard grocery stores these days (for example, most Ralph's carry 1 lb. packages of Great Range Ground Bison).  This recipe can very easily be doubled (so you can freeze some leftovers); you'll just need a bigger pot.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 lbs. ground bison
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp thyme
12 oz. salsa
8 oz. diced tomatoes
7 oz. mild green chiles
2 tsp sea salt

1. Add the coconut oil to a large pot/dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions, celery and garlic and saute until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes)
3. Add the ground bison, along with the cumin, thyme, and chili powder.  Mix the ingredients in the pot with a spatula or wooden spoon, breaking up the ground bison so that all of it has a chance to brown.
4. Once all of the bison is browned, add salsa, diced tomatoes, green chiles and sea salt.  Stir to combine.
5. Simmer, covered, for one hour.

My favorite accompaniment to this chili (or any chili, really) is my bacon and rosemary cauliflower mash.  I particularly like this recipe because it's very hard to screw up.  One time I didn't have enough green chiles so I just added more salsa and it tasted pretty much exactly the same.  Enjoy!