Fully Loaded Chili

We are truly loving the warmer fall weather we're having - today we're off to a high school football championship game, so what's better than coming home to a slow cooker full of chili? I am loving my slow cooker lately. It makes going gluten-free a lot easier because I can research what goes in my pot and I don't have to pay attention to it while it cooks.

Fully Loaded Chili
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 4 hours on low 

     1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
     1 medium onion, chopped
     1 medium green pepper, chopped
     1-3/4 cups water
     2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
     1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
     1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
     1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
     1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
     1 tablespoon baking cocoa
     2 teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce
     1/2 teaspoon pepper
     1/2 teaspoon chili powder
     1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
     1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
GARNISHES:
     1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
     1/2 cup crushed baked tortilla chip scoops
     1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the beef, onion and pepper until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the water, tomato sauce, beans, cocoa, hot sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon each of sour cream, crushed chips and cheese.

8 servings (2 quarts).
 
Recipe Review:
This was definately not Mama B's Chili! We used ground turkey instead of the ground beef and came to the realization that nothing tops ground beef in a pot of chili. It sure is fully loaded though! The garbanzo beans were a little too much. I think this had something to do with the turkey and 5 cans of beans all together, but the garbanzo beans added too much of a thicker consistency. Adding the cocoa was a great addition. There were subtle hints of cocoa in the flavorings, but this chili really missed the mark for not having a lot of spice or zing and too many beans.