Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 3 tablespoons raw minced garlic)
3 cups of chicken broth (make sure there it's 99% fat free & no MSG)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1/4-1/2 lb Italian turkey sausage
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg "Darn Good Chili" mix - follow directions to prepare basic recipe (3 cups water to boil, whisk in 4 oz tomato paste & chili mix, simmer)
2-3 teaspoons McCormick Cocoa Chile Blend
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you don't want it hot!)
Directions:
1. Prepare "Darn Good Chili" mix per instructions, place in crock pot when finished.
2. In a large skillet, saute onion & yellow pepper in olive oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to slow cooker/crock pot.
3. Add tomatoes, beans & pumpkin to slow cooker/crock pot, mix well.
4. Mix turkey sausage & beef together until well blended - salt lightly while cooking. Cook in skillet, drain and transfer to slow cooker/crock pot.
5. Add seasonings to chili ingredients in slow cooker/crock pot.
6. Cook on "low" for 4-5 hours or until heated through.
Basically, you can use whatever spices/seasonings you want depending on the flavor and how hot you want to make it. The pumpkin really thickens the chili and adds a nice, smooth texture.