Whole Life Cooking: Root Beer Chili

This is again one of my contributions on my wife's cooking blog. (www.wholelifecooking.com)

This is a great recipe for a chili cook-off. It's easy to make, and it leaves people wondering, "What did you do to make this chili taste so good?" Well, aside from the obvious (the root beer), this recipe has got two kinds of meat, apples, peppers, onions, and lots 'o love.

The flavor has a little bit of sweetness with a hint of root beer. Just enough to keep you curious at every bite.

Dice your vegetables

Sautee them together while you brown and season the meat in another pan.

Combine everything in a slow cooker or large pot.

Slow cooker on high for 3 - 4 hours, or a pot on low for 2 hours.

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Root Beer Chili

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1-2 apples, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 lb of Italian sausage
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 heaping tsp ground cumin (or crushed cumin seeds)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 5 ounces water
• 2 cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cups of Rootbeer (Prefer A&W)

Instructions

1. First, brown the meat at med-high heat.
2. While this is browning, sautee the onions in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and sautee until the aroma is strong, then add the apples and peppers and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to add a little more oil if needed.
3. Add the chili powder and cumin to the meat, salt and pepper, and mix well.
4. Pour meat and vegetables into a slow cooker, adding the water, cinnamon, kidney beans, and root beer.
   Cook on high heat for 3 - 4 hours, or you can let it simmer in a pot on low heat for 2 hours.

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