Instant Pot Chili - No Seasoning Packets Required

This evening I'm posting the recipe for Instant Pot Chili that I made this weekend. I own the Instant Pot Duo80 8-Quart model that I bought so I could make larger batches of soup, chili, Greek yogurt, larger roasts, etc. I really love it. I admit that initially I felt a bit intimidated about using it, but after using it a time or two, I became much more comfortable and so far, everything I've made has turned out awesome! Shortly after I purchased it last year, I ordered a second stainless steel insert so I could simultaneously make something else while keeping the first item warm in the pot. I also ordered an extra sealing ring to have one for non-savory things like yogurt since the silicone tends to pick up the odors of things like chili. Yesterday while shopping on Amazon, I saw they had finally added the glass lid for the 8-quart model as well as a silicone lid to cover the insert tightly when storing it in the fridge. So, I went ahead and ordered both the glass lid and the silicone cover. 

This chili turned out so good and it tasted like it had been simmered all day long. Once I had the meat and veggies browned in the pot (I just LOVE the saute function), I simply added all the remaining ingredients and pressure cooked it for 34 minutes on the bean/chili setting. We ate it for a couple of days (including tonight) and I just froze a big container to pull out on a night when I don't know what to make. It was absolutely amazing. You'll notice that I like to use the fire roasted version of diced tomatoes and roasted cumin, etc. Using the roasted versions of these ingredients just adds to the smoky flavor. Of course you can use regular diced tomatoes or regular cumin too if that's what you have on hand. I snapped a photo for you to see below and included the super easy recipe. You could also brown everything and put it in a crock pot and cook it on low all day long if you don't own a pressure cooker. Or, there's also the old fashioned way of slowly simmering it on the stove top which has worked nicely for generations, too. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Chili

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef (I used 88% lean)
2 tablespoons olive oil to brown beef
1 cup onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 Poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   2 tablespoons regular Chili Powder
   1 teaspoon "Chipotle Chili Powder" (or regular chili powder to reduce heat)
   1 teaspoon "Hot Mexican Style Chili Powder"
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (or regular ground cumin)
   1 teaspoon oregano
   1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (including juice)
1 14.5-oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (including juice)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 6-oz. tomato paste
2-1/2 to 3 cups water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
2 16-oz cans kidney beans, drained (optional)

Directions:

Press "Saute" button on Instant Pot, add olive oil and when hot, add ground beef, onions, red bell peppers, Poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic and cook until beef is browned and vegetables are softened, stirring frequently.  Add all the spices, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and optional beans; stir well.  Cover the Instant Pot and press the "Bean/Chili" button, then press the "plus sign" to increase the time to 34 minutes. If serving immediately, allow float valve to return to its recessed position (natural release). If desired, you can carefully use the quick release method according to the Instant Pot directions before opening lid.

         

          

Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies

This weekend was a top 10 beautiful weekend for a change! It actually FELT like autumn. It was cool at night and in the morning, low humidity and sunny. We are still working on projects around the house but nothing pressing, which is nice for a change. This morning I got up early and made a new recipe for Cheese Rolls. I opened up the door from the kitchen to the screened porch to let the chilly morning air in while the smell of bread baking wafted throughout the house. They turned out amazing! I'll share the recipe with you tomorrow (I posted a photo of them below).

I was in the mood for chili this evening and wanted to try it out in my Instant Pot. It, too, turned out amazing! I made Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies. Besides the usual onions, bell peppers and jalapeno peppers, I added diced yellow crookneck squash and some finely diced carrots for a bit of natural sweetness to balance the spiciness of the chili. When my children were young, I used to sneak veggies into chili, spaghetti sauce, and other things. The veggies tend to pick up the flavor of whatever you are cooking them in, so it's a great way to get some extra veggies into your kids (and husband) without them even really knowing. I loved how tender and melded the flavors were after pressure cooking it in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. It tasted like it had slow cooked all day long. I served the chili with a basket of toasted Parmesan Biscuits and Cheese Rolls. Of course, you could always make this chili on the stove top or in the slow cooker if you don't own an Instant Pot. You can also slow cook it in the Instant Pot if you don't want to pressure cook it. If you prefer beef chili, just swap out the ground chicken for beef. It was the perfect meal to end a beautiful fall weekend with. I even snapped a few photos of my baby Spike. I tried to get him to look at the camera which naturally made him look the opposite way (he's good like that). Whenever I pull out the camera and point it at him, he refuses to look at it and turns his head away. I have to act like a semi-crazy woman to make him even glance my way for a split second. The recipe for the Instant Pot Chili is below as well as a bunch of photos. Stay tuned for the Cheese Rolls recipe tomorrow. Enjoy!

Cheese Rolls (recipe coming tomorrow)

Fire roasted diced tomatoes on the left and crushed on the right

Instant Pot Spicy Chicken Chili w/ Veggies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground chicken (I used ground chicken breast), or substitute ground beef
4 tablespoons oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 large sweet bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), diced
3 small yellow summer crookneck squash, optional
3 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (or to taste)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   1 tablespoon chili powder
   1 teaspoon "Mexican style chili powder"
   1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
   1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin
   1 teaspoon dried oregano
   1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 23-oz jar diced fire roasted tomatoes, including juice (I used Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1 14.5-oz can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes)
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained (optional)

Directions:
Press the "Saute" button and heat 2 tablespoons oil in stainless steel pot insert in Instant Pot. Cook ground chicken, breaking up with a large spoon, until no longer pink. Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add additional 2 tablespoons oil and saute onion, carrots, sweet bell peppers, squash, and jalapeno peppers until slightly softened. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Return cooked chicken to Instant Pot.

Add all of the spices, diced and crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, and water. Stir in beans. Close and lock lid. Press "Bean/Chili" button. Timer will begin counting down the preset 30 minutes cook time as soon as the pot has reached pressure. When the cook time is completed, pot will beep and then automatically switch over to "Keep Warm/Cancel" and stay warm until you are ready to serve (if serving immediately, allow float valve to return to recessed position indicating pressure has been released naturally). If desired, chili can be slow cooked instead of pressure cooked for 4 hours using the "Slow Cooker" button instead.

Ladle chili into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream, if desired.

            

Southwestern Style Chicken Chili - Easy Low Carb

This evening I was in the mood for chili, even though our temperature here is still ridiculously hot. I simply turned down the air conditioning and made it feel like Fall inside while we ate! LOL I stopped by Sprouts Farmers Market on  my way home and decided to make Southwestern Style Chicken Chili using ground chicken breast and fresh Southwestern Style Chicken Sausage (made fresh at Sprouts). The sausage was bulk style (not in casings) and had diced jalapeno, onion and garlic in it. The chili turned out absolutely amazing. The ground chicken breast becomes so tender when it simmers in the acidic tomato base. I only simmered it for about 30 minutes after everything was cooked. I like to use fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor but you can use regular diced or crushed tomatoes if you prefer. The chili was moderately spicy but you can tone it down or add more heat if you prefer. I served the chili topped with Sargento's 4 State Shredded Cheddar, a blend of 4 different cheddars. It's one of my favorites. We also added a little dollop of sour cream to our bowls. I served the chili with mini Cheddar-Black Pepper Biscuits made with Cabot's Artisan Reserve 3-Year Aged Sharp White Vermont Cheddar that I shredded by hand. They were tender little biscuits that carry big cheddar flavor. I snapped a couple photos of the chili below and included the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken and veggies are cooked and ready for spices and tomatoes

Southwestern Style Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chicken (I used ground chicken breast)
3/4 pound spicy chicken sausage (I used Sprout's fresh Southwestern Spicy Sausage)
3 tablespoons oil, to saute vegetables
1 cup onion, diced
1 large sweet bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), diced
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (optional)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   1 tablespoon chili powder
   1 teaspoon "Mexican style chili powder" (or 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder)
   1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika (optional)
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon ground cumin (I use roasted cumin)
   1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
   1 teaspoon dried oregano
   1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 28-oz can diced or crushed fire roasted tomatoes, including juice (I used Muir Glen Organic Crushed Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained (optional)

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil and saute onion, sweet bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers until almost tender; add minced garlic and cook approximately 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring frequently (cover the pan to help speed up cooking time). 

In the same pan, add ground chicken and chicken sausage; cook, breaking up with a large spoon, until chicken is no longer pink. Add all of the spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock and water. Add optional beans, if using. Bring to a medium boil; taste to adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Cover pot and reduce heat to low, Simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes (if desired, chili can be placed in a crock-pot and cooked on low for approximately 8 hours instead of cooking on stove top).

Ladle chili into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream, if desired.

           

Spicy Homestyle Chili

This evening I decided to make dinner instead of unpack boxes...and it felt SO good to be back in the kitchen again believe it or not! Since it was a little cooler today (as in upper 80s/90 degrees...LOL) I was in the mood to make a big ole pot of chili. I usually like to make chili and cook it all day long on low in the crock pot, but I settled for simmering it on the stove this evening instead. I made a modified version of my "Sweet & Spicy Chili" recipe but used all ground beef instead of a mixture of beef chunks and ground beef and made a few other tweaks as well. It turned out great! I snapped a quick photo below and included my modified recipe as well. You can make this chili as spicy or as mild as you like by adjusting the chipotle pepper, hot paprika and cayenne pepper. Enjoy!

Spicy Homestyle Chili

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons oil, to saute vegetables
1 cup onion, diced
2 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), diced
1 Poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
5 cloves garlic, minced
Spices:
   1 tablespoon chili powder
   1 teaspoon "chipotle chili powder" (or regular chili powder to reduce heat)
   1 teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika (or substitute sweet paprika to reduce heat)
   1 teaspoon ground coriander
   1 teaspoon cumin (I used roasted cumin)
   1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
   1 teaspoon oregano
   1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
   1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 28-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes (including juice)
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup water (more or less, depending on preferred thickness)
1 16-oz can kidney beans, drained (optional)

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil and saute onion, sweet bell peppers, Poblano pepper, and jalapeno peppers until almost tender; add minced garlic and cook a couple more minutes, stirring frequently (covering the pan helps speed up cooking the veggies). Remove the veggies with a slotted spoon and set aside on a platter.  

In the same pan, brown ground beef until cooked and no longer pink. Return pepper and onion mixture back to the pot. Stir in all of the spices, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock and water. Bring to a medium boil; taste to adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Cover pot and reduce heat to low, Simmer on low for approximately 1 hour (if desired, chili can be placed in a crock-pot and cooked on low for 8 - 10 hours instead of simmering on top of the stove).  

Ladle chili into bowls and top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and dollop of sour cream, if desired.

           

Chilly Willy Chili Perfect for this Chilly Winter Night

This evening we enjoyed a nice hot bowl of my Chilly Willy Chili which hit the spot because it is super chilly here tonight with snow flurries in our forecast. I actually made a big pot last night (double batch with extra meat) for Super Bowl. I modified it slightly by adding a couple of diced carrots as well as 1 can of kidney beans to the big pot since hubby and my son prefer it with beans (just leave them out for very low carb chili). It was filled with organic ground beef, fire roasted tomatoes, red bell peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, diced zucchini and spices. It turned out great. I made a batch of my Parmesan Biscuits to go with it. We topped our chili with shredded sharp cheddar and a little dollop of sour cream. It was even better tonight after sitting overnight in the fridge. I snapped a quick photo below. Enjoy!

           

Low Carb Chili - "Chili Willy Chili" & the Best Low Carb Biscuits EVER!

This evening I'm sharing the recipe again for my Low Carb "Chili Willy" Chili since Super Bowl weekend is upon us. It's a modified version of the chili that I used to make, except in this version, I've reduced the carbs by substituting diced zucchini and yellow squash in place of the beans as well as omitted using chili seasoning from a packet and instead put together my own equivalent. It is so easily adapted to your own tastes...you can make it spicy or mild, whatever your family likes best. This chili is great when served with my Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits or my Buttermilk Biscuits. Of course there is always my Parmesan Biscuits, too. I've added links to the recipes for the biscuits above (just click on the name of the biscuit in red that you want to see the recipe for). If you are looking for a different chili recipe that uses chunks of beef instead of ground beef...I have another awesome recipe for my Sweet & Spicy Autumn Chili that can be done either in a crock pot or on the stove. It's awesome, too (the recipe is linked above, simply click on the name of the chili in red). You can find the recipe for my Chili Willy Chili below. Enjoy!

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 fire roasted tomatoes because they add 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 taste. The diced squash and zucchini are low carb substitutes for beans. If you eat beans, add 1 can of beans in place of (or in addition to) the squash and zucchini. One of the benefits 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!

           

Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup - Easy Low Carb

This evening we enjoyed my Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup for dinner. I usually prepare this soup in my crock pot and cook it all day long or overnight. Recently, I was asked by one of my followers if this soup would work okay cooked in a pot on top of the stove instead (because she did not own a crock pot), so I decided to go ahead and test it out to see how long it would take. I actually prepared the soup last night and then refrigerated it overnight to make dinner quick and easy this evening.

After I browned the beef and onions and then added the cabbage, stock, tomatoes and seasoning, it took about 2-1/2 to 3 hours for the beef to become fall apart tender. It took me 3 hours from start to finish. I tweaked the recipe slightly by increasing the beef to 2 pounds and rather than cut up a head of cabbage I used a 2-pound bag of coleslaw mix that was already sliced up which saved both time and clean up. I also decided to make it more "tomatoey" by bumping up the tomatoes. I added 2 large cans (1 pound 12-oz each) of San Marzano tomatoes that I crushed by simply squeezing them in my hands directly into the pot. When I served the soup this evening, I added a dollop of sour cream to our soup bowls to stir in and add a bit of creamy tang. It was delicious. I snapped a few photos of tonight's modified stove top version of this soup. You can find the original slow cooker recipe by clicking here: Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup. Enjoy! (P.S. - Stay tuned for a NEW recipe post tomorrow)

         

Parmesan Biscuits - Low Carb

This evening we enjoyed leftover Minestrone Soup that I made for dinner last night. It was even better this evening...but what pushed it over the top was my Parmesan Biscuits that I made to go with it. They were so good with this soup and made it extra special. If you've never tried these biscuits before, they are definitely worth trying. I baked them an extra minute or two until nice and golden which made them slightly crisp on the outside and still tender on the inside. Hubby said these biscuits were restaurant quality. You can find the recipe for them here: Parmesan Biscuits. Enjoy!

         

Minestrone Soup - Low Carb

It was a chilly day here today which put me in the mood for soup. I decided to make Minestrone Soup for dinner which is essentially vegetable soup with an Italian twist. I just happened to have all the ingredients to make it. It turned out great and was the perfect comfort meal for this cold winter day. The soup base is primarily chicken stock along with a can of fire roasted tomatoes which adds a nice tomato flavor. My minestrone soup had onions, carrots, celery, green beans, red bell pepper, baby spinach, zucchini, tomatoes and it was seasoned with a couple dollops of basil pesto in place of dried herbs. I topped our bowls of soup with big flakes of Grana Padano cheese (similar to Parmigiana Reggiano in flavor) that I find at my local Costco. It added great flavor as it melted into the hot soup. This soup would be delicious served alongside my Parmesan Biscuits for a heartier meal. I snapped a couple photos and included the easy recipe below. Enjoy!

Parmesan Biscuits

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
3 small carrots, thinly sliced
3/4 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch long pieces
2 small zucchini, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes (including juice)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves (about 3 ounces)
2 rounded tablespoons basil pesto, or to taste (I used Barilla brand)
Shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese to garnish soup with

Directions:

In a medium stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Saute approximately 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add carrots and green beans; cover pot and reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes (if necessary, add a few tablespoons of water to prevent sticking). Uncover pot and add zucchini. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until all vegetables are softened.

Add chicken stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover pot. Simmer for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in spinach leaves and pesto. Cook approximately 5 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Serve soup topped with Parmesan cheese.

            

Slow Cooker Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup - Easy Low Carb

This evening we had my Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup that I make in my crock pot. I actually started it before I went to bed last night and cooked it overnight until I turned it off at lunch time today. It turned out great and I have plenty left to enjoy on what they are predicting will be a very chilly weekend for us here. It's supposed to drop into the 40s tonight and they say we might even see 39 degrees on Sunday morning! That's a pretty drastic change considering we had temps of 80 this week. I snapped a few photos of my soup below. This soup is so very easy to make and uses very few ingredients. The recipe can be found here: Slow Cooker Spicy Beef & Cabbage Soup. Enjoy!

         

Chicken, Kale & Gnocchi Soup - Low Carb & Grain Free

Happy National Kale Day! Who knew? It kept popping up (National Kale Day) in my newsfeed today so I decided to adapt tonight's chicken soup and toss in some baby kale (as well as make a few other tweaks). I really love kale or spinach added to chicken soup. Last night, I made a pot of homemade chicken stock so I could make chicken noodle soup for dinner this evening. It isn't necessary to make it from scratch though and to shorten the prep time, particularly on weeknights, simply purchase your favorite chicken stock (I like Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock or Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth). I added the usual celery and carrots to my soup as well as fresh baby kale (it seemed like the right thing to do on National Kale Day)...LOL. To give my soup a little more body and oomph, I added a bit of heavy cream and grated Parmesan cheese to make a light cream soup (which you can easily omit to keep it dairy free and more "traditional"). It's good either way.

The big difference in tonight's soup is that there was homemade grain free gnocchi in the soup. I usually like to use my grain free noodles that I make by cutting my grain free tortillas into strips (you need to try it, it's so yummy), but this evening I decided to add more heartiness by adding homemade gnocchi. I've been experimenting with making grain free gnocchi on and off for a while now and they look good but tend to fall apart and disintegrate as they cook. So, I gave it another try (and still may tweak it further to make them a bit lighter)...but this time I succeeded in making them where they didn't fall apart at all. I am "pleased" with how they turned out, but if you know me...I'm looking for ECSTATIC!  LOL If you prefer light softer noodles in your soup, use my recipe here for: Grain Free Chicken Noodle Soup that's made with my grain free tortillas (it's delicious). If you want more "solid and hearty" soup, give this gnocchi version a try. If you aren't sure, cut my gnocchi recipe in half and make a test batch first. After dinner, I allowed the leftover soup to cool down a bit on the stovetop (for about an hour or so) before refrigerating it. I tested the gnocchi before putting it away to see how they held up after sitting in the soup for a while; they softened (in a good way) but stayed intact. I'm curious to see how they hold when I have it again for lunch tomorrow after they've sat in the soup overnight. Check out my photos below as well as the recipe for my Chicken, Kale & Gnocchi Soup. Enjoy!

I used homemade stock, but store bought works fine too.

The larger white oblong objects are the cooked gnocchi (they get bigger when cooked)

Grain-Free Gnocchi

Chicken Noodle Soup - Grain Free

Ingredients:

8 to 10 cups chicken stock
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups fresh baby kale (about 3 ounces)
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, optional
1 cup grain free gnocchi (recipe below)

For the grain free gnocchi:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1-1/2 teaspoons xanthum gum
5 tablespoons plain unflavored whey protein powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

To make gnocchi, whisk almond flour, xanthum gum, whey protein powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat eggs with tablespoon of water. Make a well in the center of flour and pour egg mixture into the well. Using a fork, stir egg mixture, gradually pulling the flour mixture into the eggs until a stiff and somewhat sticky dough is formed. If necessary, add a little more flour if needed to shape it into a ball. Knead a couple of times by pressing your fist down in the center. Form into a ball and press down into a thick patty shaped disk. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled or overnight. Cut lengthwise into 4 pieces and roll into logs about 1 inch in diameter. Slice logs approximately 1/4-inch thick into small pieces. 

Bring chicken stock to a boil. Carefully add gnocchi to the pot, several at a time to keep them from sticking together. Cook in boiling stock for 5 to 6 minutes (gnocchi will sink first and then float to the top). Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl and set aside while preparing the soup. 

Add celery and carrots to pot of chicken stock; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium heat. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add parsley, chicken, and baby kale; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in optional cream and Parmesan. Return cooked gnocchi to pot. Simmer on low for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.