Five years ago, when I first started eating a veggie-centric Primal diet, all grains (wheat, rice, corn, oats etc.) and legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas, peanuts etc.) were the first foods I sacked off. We still ate frozen peas and fresh green beans, just not the hard, dry variety of legumes that are too carb heavy to fit in to a low-carb lifestyle.
Hard beans such as red kidney beans contain oligosaccharides, a complex sugar, which humans cannot break down because they lack the necessary enzyme in their digestive tract. If you suffer from gas, bloating and indigestion after eating beans, you’re not alone. The Western A Price Foundation tells it how it is: “When consumed, these oligosaccharides reach the lower intestine largely intact, and in the presence of anaerobic bacteria ferment and produce carbon dioxide and methane gases, as well as a good deal of discomfort, not to mention embarrassment in polite society.”
Beans, legumes and grains - nuts and nightshade vegetables too - are high in lectins that are natural pesticides, which act as a plant’s defence against being attacked and eaten by insects, fungi, and other pests, including humans. Lectins are a type of sticky protein that can bind to the cells on the gut wall inducing an inflammatory response and causing all sorts of digestive problems, including microscopic tears in the lining of the small intestine a.k.a. “leaky gut”. A leaky gut allows toxic waste (essentially, particles of poo) to pass through the gut wall and circulate throughout the body in the bloodstream. Not a good thing!
But we’re not done yet - grains and legumes also contain phytic acid in especially high quantities. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that limits the absorption of vital nutrients such as amino acids (protein) and binds to and strips the body of minerals such as calcium, manganese, zinc and iron, which can lead to a nutritional deficiency.
All in all, there are some pretty strong drawbacks to eating so-called “healthy” grains and legumes but this doesn’t mean they are entirely without merit. Dedicated cooks can help improve both their digestibility and nutritional value through the process of fermentation (think home-baked sour dough bread), soaking (for at least 48 hours), sprouting and long, slow cooking. Personally, I can’t be bothered with something so long-winded (pun intended) because whatever grains and legumes offer in terms of nutrition can be found in equal or greater amounts in other foods containing a lot less carbs.
Assuming you’re interested in eating beans, they are a useful source of plant-based (second class) protein for vegans and are hard to beat when you need a cheap way to fill your belly. Not that I’m persuaded. I’m a big fan of high quality food and maximised nutrition - including certified, grass-fed animal products and organic plant foods - produced by farmers using agricultural practices that help regenerate our soils, treat animals with kindness and respect and avoid environmental pollutants.
Whilst vegan propaganda is directed at all meat-eaters, it’s our demand for cheap food that allows industrial scale farmers to profit from the intense suffering of millions of farm animals and wilfully destroy the planet. Raising 100% grass-fed livestock is not the same thing as Big Agri ‘growing’ animals unnaturally in cruel confinement on factory-farms. It’s not pastured animals that tax the environment so much as fracking, airplanes, cars, heavy agricultural machinery gouging up the earth and mono-cropping acres and acres of corn and soybeans on vast swathes of deforested land - mainly to grow cheap, reliable, GM crop-based animal feed to fatten up livestock that never evolved to eat such food.
If you care about animal welfare, human health and the environment, you’ll pay farmers whatever if costs to move animals away from feedlots to green fields where they can graze on their natural diet of grass and pasture. They then become part of the solution to global warming and food security, not a contributor to the problem.
Animal foods coming from animals that are only ever fed grass and pasture and never any grains help build soil fertility, sequester more carbon out of the air than they contribute, encourage wildlife and produce healthier meat and dairy products.
It’s why I’m more “ethical omnivore” than die-hard vegetarian. Given that I eat both meat and plants with a clear conscience in support of my very good health, should an authentic chilli be made with or without beans? I was so convinced red kidney beans were obligatory that I didn’t eat chilli for yonks. It just never occurred to me to check, so I didn’t know that the first chilli con carne was made sans beans. In retrospect, it’s a bit galling to have needlessly deprived myself when this beanless Vension Chilli With Chocolate is the best chilli I’ve ever eaten.
Simply made by combining meat with chilli peppers, warming spices, vegetables and tomatoes, then left alone to simmer forever over a low heat until reduced to rich, red, thick, spicy, meaty goodness, chilli is the original slow cooked, comfort food.
My version of chilli is made with venison, red wine and chocolate to make it a bit more luxurious and dinner party worthy. If you’re going to have a busy time at Christmas, Venison Chilli With Chocolate is a make-ahead crowd-pleaser that’ll help you avoid a festive kitchen meltdown. Either have all the ingredients in the store cupboard and freezer ready to assemble and cook long and slow whilst you crack on with the celebrations or do what I’ve done, which is to make a double quantity of Venison Chilli With Chocolate and freeze it in readiness for an effortless meal to be enjoyed whenever Chef (that’s me!) most needs a break. I fancy it’s going to be a Christmas ‘cracker’ of a meal to come home to after a long walk on Boxing Day.
Obviously, chilli is not just for Christmas. It’s guaranteed to help take the heat out of the kitchen whenever you’re entertaining. Simply serve in individual bowls topped with grated Cheddar, soured cream and a sprig of flat leaf parsley then pass your guests a glass of heady, red wine, a spoon and napkin and you’re done.
Almost…
Pudding perfection after spicy chilli is a cold and creamy, no-churn, Maple Syrup Ice Cream topped with crunchy Caramelised Pecans - to be featured in the next Primal Plate blog post. Happy days!
With so many parties on the horizon, it’s get-ahead festive treats like these that make me a very happy bunny indeed. Feels like I’m already on a roll for the best Christmas ever.
Venison Chilli With Chocolate (serves 4)
Ingredients
500g wild venison mince
½ tsp organic dried oregano
½ tsp organic ground cumin
½ tsp organic ground paprika
½ tsp organic ground coriander
¼-½ tsp organic chilli powder (depends how hot you like your chilli!)
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 large organic onion, finely chopped
1 organic carrot, finely chopped
1 stick organic celery, finely chopped
1 organic red pepper, finely chopped
1 heaped dsp tomato puree
I fresh organic red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped (or use ½ tsp organic chilli flakes)
100 ml tomato passata
150 ml organic red wine
150 ml stock
1 tbsp organic shoyu (soy sauce)
Himalayan pink salt (or Celtic sea salt)
organic black pepper, freshly ground
250g organic closed-cup mushrooms, sliced
50g 85% dark chocolate, grated (although I used Pacari biodynamic chocolate drops to save time)
To serve:
organic Cheddar cheese, grated
organic flat leaf parsley or coriander
Instructions
Mix the venison with the oregano, ground cumin, paprika, dried coriander and chilli powder. Tip: I don a pair of food safe gloves and squeeze everything together with my hands. Leave to marinade for an hour or so.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds and gently cook, stirring regularly, until they start to smell fragrant.
Add the onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the diced red pepper, carrot and celery and cook over a low heat for another 8-10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Add the tomato puree to the pan and gently fry for another few minutes.
Now add the spiced venison and increase the heat to brown it - breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the wine, tomato passata, stock, shoyu and chopped chilli (or chilli flakes).
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover with a lid and simmer over a very low heat for a minimum of 1½ - 2 hours Tip: 4 hours is better! Check and stir occasionally, adding more red wine or stock if it gets too dry. The end result should be rich, red, and thickened.
Whilst the chilli is cooking, quickly sauté the sliced mushrooms in a little olive oil in a frying pan until tinged golden then lightly season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add the cooked mushrooms to the chilli in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Stir or grate in the chocolate and cook for a further 10 minutes with the pan lid off.
Ladle the chilli into individual bowls then top with grated Cheddar cheese, a dollop of soured cream and a sprig of flat leaf parsley or fresh coriander.
Notes
The amount of chilli suggested above is a guide for novice home cooks. It’s true to say that a decent chilli needs a fair amount of chilli ‘heat’ but as chillies come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and heat levels you’ll need to adjust the amounts to your own taste. Go steady. You can always add an extra pinch of chilli powder but you can’t take the heat away once you’ve already made your chilli scorching hot!
Cauliflower ‘rice’, sweet potato chips, slices of avocado etc. are all good combos to serve with chilli if you’ve very hungry mouths to feed or you want to make it go further.