8 oz. hot Italian turkey sausage
1 lb. lean ground sirloin
cooking spray
2 large onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves
1 can beef broth
2 tbs. tomato paste
2 (28 oz.) cans chopped tomatoes in puree, undrained
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans
1/2 cup water
2 tbs. flour
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
This recipe makes a lot of chili, about 16 cups, and it can be easily cut in half.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Cook the sausage and the ground sirloin about 8-10 minutes until browned, stirring and mashing to crumble the meat. Drain and rinse the meat under running water to remove excess fat. Return to skillet and add the onions, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
Transfer the meat mixture to a large crock pot. Add the chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, organo, pepper, salt, bay leaves, beef broth, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans. Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 2 hours, then lower the heat and let the chili slow cook for another 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Dissolve the flour in 1/2 cup of water and add to the chili. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If you want your chili hotter, add some crushed red pepper flakes. Turn heat to high and cook for another 30 minutes.
If you prefer to make this chili on the stove, follow the recipe as written and put everything into a large stock pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves, add the water/flour mixture (and red pepper flakes if desired) and cook uncovered for another 30 minutes.
This recipe makes about 16 cups of chili. A 1 1/2 cup serving is 7 points, but if you only want a cup, it would be 4.5 points.