Low Carb "Chili Willy Chili" & Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits (Wheat & Grain Free)

This evening I revised another one of my old recipes "Chili Willy Chili" and made a lower carb version.  I am trying to perfect it before "official chili season" begins.  With the cooler nights and mornings...I know it is just around the corner.  I decided to substitute diced squash and zucchini in place of the usual beans to add some volume, vegetables and fiber.  We usually like to have either corn muffins or biscuits to go with our chili...so I am going to take a stab at those too.  Obviously I am feeling a bit adventurous today!

One of my favorite biscuits to make are "Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits"...you can find them on my blog (from back in my wild wheat eating days).  ;-)  Anyway, I am going to try and duplicate them using almond flour instead of any wheat/gluten/grain.  Rather than make a regular size batch of 8-10 biscuits, I am going to make half of a batch of 4-5 (just in case they don't turn out spectacular).  As any of you that use almond flour know...it isn't cheap!!! Youngest son is having dinner with us tonight so I am hoping they turn out good...and there will be one more taste tester here as well (and he is brutally honest)!  I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipes for both the chili and the biscuits.  Enjoy!

Veggies are added and ready to cook until tender

All ingredients are added & ready to simmer for 1 hour

Voila!

*Chuckle Alert:  Note that my biscuits (pictured above) are rather "flat". I flattened them out too much not realizing they wouldn't rise like regular biscuits do. When my son walked in the door he said..."Oh Mom, you made cookies!"  LOL  I had to break the news to him that no, I made biscuits!!!  So...don't do as I did, do as I say...whatever thickness you flatten your biscuits to prior to baking will be the thickness they are when they come out!

Low Carb "Chili Willy Chili"

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground sirloin or ground round

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, diced (I used both red and orange peppers for color)

1 Poblano pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely diced

1-1/2 cups yellow squash, diced

1-1/2 cups zucchini, diced

1 14.5 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 16-ounce can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon "hot Mexican" chili powder

1 bay leaf

Few good shakes of cayenne pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, brown meat, chopping it into small pieces as it browns; add onion and peppers after meat is lightly browned, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until peppers and onions begin to soften; add diced squash and zucchini, cover and cook approximately 5-10 minutes until vegetables are tender.  

Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Remove bay leaf.  Serves 3-4.

*Notes: Ground chuck and lean ground beef work great in this recipe too.  If you don't like spicy chili, eliminate the jalapeno pepper...if you like it spicy, add more.  If you want to use other types of peppers (yellow, orange, green, etc.), substitute with your favorite.  I like to use the fire roasted tomatoes because they have more flavor...if you don't like anything "charred" in your food, use regular diced tomatoes instead.  You can add more or less salt to make it perfect for your palate.  The diced squash and zucchini are lower carb substitutes for the kidney beans.  If you eat beans, add about 1 can of beans in place of the squash and zucchini.  One of the main advantages of not using a "chili flavoring packet" is that you can fine tune the salt, chili powder, etc. to make it exactly the way you like it....not the way "McCormick" likes it.  This recipe is easily adaptable to your own tastes.  I hope you enjoy it!

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Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits (Wheat/Grain Free)

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup half-n-half or cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Add butter; using a pastry cutter or blender, cut butter into flour mixture until it is in pea size clumps and looks like wet sand.  Stir in the pepper, cheddar cheese, cream and water. The mixture should be slightly sticky, but not loose or runny. If it’s too wet, stir in a tablespoon of almond flour.

Using a tablespoon or scoop, put rounded balls of dough (about the size of a ping pong ball) on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (this recipe yields 10-12 biscuits).  Using your fingers, gently press the top of the dough mounds to slightly flatten. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.  Be careful not to burn.

*Note: These biscuits are more dense the regular biscuits as well as rich.