Slow Cookin’

My slow cooker is one of the best gifts I ever received and among my most recommended kitchen gadgets. It’s so easy to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, turn it on while you’re at work, running errands or doing chores around the house and come home to a healthy dinner!

I can’t remember where I found this recipe, but when I did, I tore it out immediately. The ingredients are warming, grounding and nutritious. Besides, who doesn’t love chili on these frigid winter nights?

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, chopped (I used a shallot)
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow pepper)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, sea salt and black pepper
1 28-oz can fire-roasted, diced tomoatoes
1 15.5-oz can black beans, rinsed
1 15.5-oz can kidnet beans, rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

In a 4-to-6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Add the tomotoes and their liquid, beans, sweet potato and 1 cup water.

Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

That’s it. You can serve with sour cream, scallion, radishes and tortilla chips, crust bread or my preference is a big, green salad!