Great Chili

This recipe is a knock off of Wendy's famous chili. I will usually go to Wild Oats or another health food store and buy dried beans (soup mix or chili mix). The night before making my chili I will take one cup of beans and mix in two cups of water into a bowl, cover and put overnight into the frig. The next morning drain any excess water out of the beans and use in this recipe along with the other beans. This makes a healthy recipe if you use the ground turkey instead of the ground beef. Tim likes a little pasta in his chili so I will cook up a small amount for him to mix in with his bowl. Sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top and serve with a slice of focaccia bread dipped in olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
  
• 2 29-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 29-ounce can of kidney beans
• 1 29-ounce can of pinto beans
• 1 diced green pepper
• 1 diced medium onion
• 1/2 cup diced mild green chiles
• 1 to 6 diced jalapeno peppers (if heat desired)
• 1 29-ounce can diced tomatoes or 3 chopped medium tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• if too thick had a little water
  

PREPARATION:

1. Brown the beef in skillet or microwave and drain off the fat.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a crockpot.
3. Cook on low for 3-10 hours.
4. Leftovers can be frozen and kept for months.