Comfort Foods - Chili

I have had to give up a lot of my favorite comfort foods when I chose to go on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) to treat my Crohn's disease. I have found new ones, but they don't compare with my favorite ones that I now only have as memories.

I recently found a Chili recipe on a SCD website. I tried it out today and it is really good. I'm passing it on. One thing I altered with the recipe was substituting 3 chicken breasts for the ground chicken. I just cooked them separately and then cut them up into small pieces. I also didn't personally add cheese to mine, but I'm sure it will taste good with it.

Chicken Chili
Serves 6 to 8
2lb ground chicken
4 onions chopped
3 bell peppers (any combination of red, yellow, or orange chopped)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
¼ tsp to ½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp to ½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, pressed
3 cups fully cooked navy beans*
one 48 – oz can tomato juice
one 28 – oz can plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
Cheddar Cheese, grated for garnish

1. In a large pot with a lid, brown the chicken on medium – high heat until cooked through. Drain off the accumulated fat.
2. Add the onions and bell peppers to the pot and cook uncovered for 5 minutes, until soft
3. Add the salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Stir to combine.
4. Add the beans, tomato juice and tomatoes
5. Stir until well combined, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes over medium – low heat
6. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes
7. Serve hot, garnish with grated cheese


*Beans, split peas, lentils, and peanuts all belong to the legumes family. To minimize the bloating gas, or discomfort you sometimes get with eating prepared legumes, you can soak them. Legumes double in bulk when soaked.
1. Put dried legumes in a large bowl and cover with water. Make sure the water level is 4 inches above the legumes because they’ll absorb the liquid, expand, and double in bulk.
2. Soak in a cool place for 8 to 10 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Drain and rinse in a colander with cool, fresh water
4. Put the legumes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
5. As soon as they come to a boil, they’ll start to foam. Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse them again. At this point, they can be added to soups for further cooking. To fully cook the beans and store for future use, follow steps 6 and 7.
6. Put the beans back in your pot and cover them with fresh water again. Boil fro 30 to 45 minutes, or until they’re tender.
7. Drain and use immediately, or freeze in smaller portions for use in other recipes