Make it Mondays-Whole 30 Edition: Chocolate Chili

Hey guys, Heather here! Another Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone. All of the food, commercials,  halftime show, and game itself makes for a fun night I look forward to every February. This year was a little different for Lu and I. We have decided to commit to the Whole30 for the month of February. (Learn more about the Whole 30 Program here).

Courtesy of: What I Wore

This forced us to get a little creative when it came to Superbowl food planning. It's pretty hard to sit back and watch everyone devour nachos and cookies while you sit and eat a healthy salad. From my experience - it can't be done. Trust me. So I scoured the blog community to find some delicious game-time snacks that were not only Whole30 compliant - but satisfied the tastebuds of everyone around. 

The chili recipes I have to share with you all will knock your socks off. Give this to anyone, and I guarantee that they would never know they were eating a "clean" dish. My husband, Jake, is a non-Paleo person, and ate bowl after bowl. Yup, it was THAT good!

Jake, Maddie, and Puppy Guppy watching the game.

When Melissa Joulwan of the Clothes Make the Girl (as well as a past Friday Favorite) first posted this recipe onto her blog, I was a bit of a skeptic. I thought; "Chocolate and chili, how can this possibly be good?" Yet she swore that this was her favorite chili recipe and  I must admit that "chocolate" sounded tempting. I was on  my 3rd day of Whole 30 with a "chocolate hangover" setting in. As such, I was desperate for chocolate in any form. 

Courtesy of WAHM

 So I gave it a shot. I did make a few substations to Melissa's Chocolate Chili recipe, like substituting half of the beef for pork. I also browned the meat using duck fat in place of the coconut oil. Animal fat is encouraged during the Whole30 and duck fat is definitely the bomb.com. 

Chocolate Chili 

Printer-Friendly Recipe

*Adapted from the Clothes Make the Girl 

• 2 tablespoons rendered duck fat

• 2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)

• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

• 1 pound ground beef (organic grassfed is best)

• 1 pound ground pork (again local free range pork makes all the difference)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

• 2 tablespoons chili powder

• 2 tablespoons ground cumin

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

• 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire-roasted, chopped tomatoes

• 1 can (14.5 ounces) beef broth

• 1 cup water 

Heat a large, deep pot over medium-high heat, then add the duck fat. When the oil is melted, add onions, stir with a wooden spoon and cook until they’re translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and as soon as it’s fragrant, about 30 seconds, crumble the ground meat into the pan with your hands, mixing with the wooden spoon to combine. Continue to cook the meat, stirring often, until it’s no longer pink.

In a small bowl, crush the oregano between your palms to release its flavor, then add the chili powder, cumin, cocoa, allspice, and salt. Combine with a fork, then add to the pot, stirring like you mean it. Add tomato paste and stir until combined, about 2 minutes.


Add the tomatoes with their juice, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the chili enjoys a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for at least two hours. Do not skimp on the simmer! Serve in deep bowls with big spoons.

This chili was out of this world. It's flavor had so much depth. I made a huge pot with the plan of using leftovers over the week. Chili omelet or chili burger anyone? 

Create a delicious Monday everyone! 

Thanks Heather for a whole-30ified edition of Make it Mondays! I am just finishing up the final touches to CreativelyLu.com and very excited to have Heather as a weekly contributor for the new site! Below is your daily dose of inspiration, inspired by Heather's little chef-in-training, Maddie!

Heather's daughter Maddie "cooking" in her kitchen like mom.

See you all tomorrow!

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