Nightshade-Free Chili From the Heart

As a person who loves to power pack my meals, I love to sneak in organ meats whenever I can. Surprisingly, you hardly ever know they are there. Whether you add them to a chili, like this nightshade-free beef heart chili recipe, Nightshade-Free Chili From the Heart, a meatball, a meatloaf, or taco meat, this is a great way to begin your adventure into organ meats.

Where to Find Organ Meats

The best way to find organ meats is to get to know local farmers. Visit a farmer’s market and start asking questions. When I first got to know our farmer, all their organ meats went to people making dog food! That really made me sad, even though I really love dogs, and even feed mine organ meat. People should also benefit from these nutrient dense foods.

After getting to know my farmer, she began to save some organ meats for me. In my freezer right now, other than liver, heart, tongue and ox tail, I also have kidney, pancreas and sweet breads. I will be experimenting with them in the weeks to come.

Getting Started with Organ Meats

I was thinking about the first time I made this chili. I had purchased a beef heart from a local farmer and I didn’t realize it weighed 3 pounds. It seemed huge. I considered making beef heart skewers, but would have so much meat left. I stood there wondering what I was going to do with this thing. I grabbed my book, It Takes Guts, by Ashleigh Vanhouten, and found this recipe.

The weather was cool, the perfect time to make chili. If I doubled the recipe, that would leave 1 pound of heart to use for another time. In the recipe, the recommendation was to run the heart through a meat grinder or a food processer. The only meat grinder I had was the very heavy one my mom used when I was a kid. For some reason it didn’t work.  Instead, I chopped it as finely as I was able to and added it to the chili, with good results. Shortly after this, I purchased a small food processor, one with 4 blades, that easily grinds my meat. Heart is a lean muscle meat with great flavor. This is a great way to use beef heart. It is a go to recipe for me during chili season. 

Why We Love It

Beef Heart Nutrition: Protein, B Vitamins, and CoQ10

Beef heart is full of nutrients. It is a good source of protein, providing 20 grams per 3.5 ounces of meat. Not only does protein support hair, skin, and nails, and help build muscle tissue, the body also uses it to create hormones, neurotransmitters, immune cells, and enzymes.

Beef heart is also rich in B vitamins, especially vitamin B12. This nutrient is important for the production of red blood cells, provides energy for healing, and it supports proper nerve function. 

Coenzyme Q10 is another nutrient found in beef heart. According to the Mayo Clinic, CoQ10 is an antioxidant that protects the cells of the body from damage, and helps the body make energy. CoQ10 may improve congestive heart failure symptoms, and help lower blood pressure. It may reduce how often migraines happen, and how long they last.

To learn more about the importance of including organ meat into your diet, enjoy the NTI Podtalk with Chef James Barry. Interested in learning more about holistic nutrition and the role food plays in overall health? Explore the Nutrition Therapist Master Certification program.

What Makes This Beef Heart Chili Nightshade-Free?

During my time working as a Holistic Practitioner, I met people with a sensitivity to foods in the nightshade family. Some of these foods include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, white potatoes, goji berries, okra, and tomatillos. Also, the spices made from these foods including paprika, chili powder, and curry powder.

Some of the symptoms people may experience with a nightshade sensitivity include inflammation, leading to joint pain, rashes and headaches. Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, heartburn and diarrhea may also be experienced. This chili recipe replaces tomatoes with sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Paprika and chili powder are replaced with five-spice powder which includes star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. It also includes garlic, cumin, and two different types of pepper. There is no lack of flavor in this chili. It contains rich flavors that are warming and satisfying.

If you don’t have a nightshade sensitivity, try adding the combination of ground beef, bacon and ground beef heart to your favorite chili recipe.

Would you like to learn more about nightshades? Try AIP Ribs with Nightshade-free Cherry BBQ Sauce. This was one of my favorite recipes in the NTI Natural Food Chef program. I make this BBQ sauce regularly, especially when I make a liver pate. They are great together. 

Is There A Fungus Among Us? Cooking with Shiitake Mushrooms

I recently started a Master Gardener Volunteer training program. The topic of mushrooms came up, and the loudest one in the room talked about how much she hated mushrooms. Even though I grew up a VERY picky eater, I always loved mushrooms. I find that people either love them or hate them. A little bit like cilantro. When I ask about it, most say that they don’t like the texture. I can understand that. It’s rarely about the flavor. I rarely eat mushrooms raw. I usually sauté or roast them. In the process, the texture and flavor change. The mushroom I eat the most is the shiitake. It costs more than button and portobello mushrooms, but the flavor is worth it.

One of the dishes I make a lot is roasted diced sweet potatoes or butternut squash and chopped shiitake mushrooms. I add olive oil, salt and pepper. The roasting process creates a caramelized, umami rich flavor. The flavor and texture of the mushrooms reminds me of meat. There is so much more flavor in a shiitake mushroom than in a button or portabella, that I rarely go back to the cheaper ones.

I live near an international grocery store called Jungle Jim’s. At any one time there may be 10 or more different kinds of mushrooms for sale. Each one has a unique texture and flavor. If you think you don’t like mushrooms, I encourage you to experiment with different ones, and then decide if you like them or not. The adventure will be worth it, for flavor and health benefits. Can mushrooms benefit your brain? Read the article to learn more.

Nightshade-Free Beef Heart Chili Recipe

Just as I recommend for you, I view recipes as suggestions, and this nightshade-free beef heart chili recipe is no exception. I have included some of the swaps I made due to taste preference, or due to what I had on hand. Each time I made Nightshade-Free Chili From the Heart, I changed it a little bit, and it had a slightly different flavor, but always delicious. Feel free to add toppings such as fresh onion, cilantro, tortilla chips, or sprouts for added nutrition and flavor. 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I prefer ghee)

1 large white onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped, plus more leaves for garnish

1 bay leaf

3 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided

2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms (I used shitake)

1 pound beef heart, cleaned and ground or finely chopped

1 pound 85% lean ground beef

12 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon five-spice powder

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (I used butternut squash)

5 cups beef bone broth (I used chicken bone broth)

Directions:

Heat a 6 quart Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, pour in the olive oil or ghee. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sauté until the onion is tender and aromatic, about 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until very tender and browned. Next mix in the heart, beef, and bacon. Use a whisk to break up the meat, stirring often until it’s very crumbly and begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and all the seasonings. Keep mixing until the meat mixture is cooked through and finely crumbled.

Stir in the sweet potato or squash and bone broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring every 20 minutes, for 1 hour. Garnish with extra rosemary, if desired.

This organ meat chili recipe is a flavorful way to experiment with beef heart while enjoying a hearty, satisfying meal.Enjoy! 

Serves 6

Prep time 25 minutes

Cook time 1 hour 35 minutes

Adapted from the recipe in It Takes Guts, by Ashleigh Vanhouten

Try these other delicious recipes using organ meats:

Liver Fingers with Honey Chili Sauce

Beef Tongue Tacos

The Best Liver Recipe: Dianne’s Beef Liver with Figs

Check out some of Lisa’s other recipe blogs:

Seasonal Salad with Cottage Cheese and Plum Vinaigrette

Carrots with Salsa Verde and Seared Squid

Beautiful Bowls

Beef Tongue Tacos

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt & Savory Sesame Topping

About the Author: Lisa Schumacher is a graduate of NTI’s Certified Natural Food Chef program, a Registered Nurse and Holistic Practitioner. She is the owner of Lisa’s Vibrant Kitchen, and is passionate about helping people learn how to nourish themselves. Whether it’s one-on-one, in a class setting, in person, or over zoom, inspiring and teaching others how to create delicious, nutritious food is her happy place. She loves to introduce people to foods they never expected to eat. To find out more about Lisa, please send questions to Li*****************@***il.com or find her on Facebook.