Our Stake was going to have a Harvest Festival (quite the blast, I must say), but due to the weather, it was cancelled.  Our quick-thinking ward decided to contact everyone and invite them to the church building, since most people already made up their food to bring, and we had a nice impromptu pot luck, instead!  Way to go, Eagle Mountain 9th Ward. 🙂

I think this chili turned out better than most of the attempts we try (too spicy, too thick, etc).  So, I figured I’d put it in here in case we ever want to try it again!  It was good enough that Jeremy called it Taco Soup (one of the foods Rebecca makes, that he really likes.)  I got the seasoning idea from looking up a Wendy’s chili recipe, since I always love their stuff (a little runny, well seasoned, and very good with everything else they sell.)

There were two parts to it.  The first was the meat, and the rest was in the crock pot.  The meat I didn’t use went into freezer bags for future use, like spaghetti or other items.

The meat:

1 cup beef TVP
2 cups water
2 cups of onion, minced in the food processor
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
5lb 27% fat chub of ground beef
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings

Put the TVP in water and cook in the microwave for a few minutes, so it soaks up most of the water.  While doing this, in a large pan, cook the onions in the oil, covered to keep them from drying out.  Then add the garlic and ground beef, mixing it until evenly browned.  By this point the TVP should be soft enough, so drain the ground beef of all fat (there was at least a cup or two of fat + liquid, due to the high fat content of the chub), then add the TVP and other seasonings, and mix thoroughly.  Let sit until ready to use in the chili.

For the chili:

2 pounds of the cooked beef from before
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of black beans
1 can of great northern beans
1 can of blackeye peas
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes (roasted onion and garlic)
1 can of diced tomatoes (cilantro and lime)
1 29 ounce can of whole tomatoes
2 stalks of celery, sliced very thin
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder

Add the beef to the crock pot.  Drain the beans and corn, and rinse lightly, then add to the pot.  Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all).  Puree the whole tomatoes and add them, then measure half of that can of water (approx. 2 cups) and add it as well.  Add the celery and seasonings, mix well, and simmer in the crock pot on high for 3-4 hours, stirring after a few hours to not lose too much heat.