Now that we are firmly into winter, I will share a versatile and simple chili recipe with you. This can be made vegetarian if you use vegetable stock, or you can add ground turkey or beef and use chicken or beef stock. I have made it each of those ways and love it all ways! I have also used kidney beans in place of chickpeas with good results. I don't purée any of the mixture, but that is just a personal preference. I also use about 1/2 the spices called for before removing some for my kids and then I add in the other 1/2 of the spices at the end for the grown ups, otherwise my kids will say it's too spicy and won't eat it.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that it is easily adapted for the slow cooker. Just brown the meat (if you are using it), throw everything in the crock, set to low for 8 hours and dinner is ready when you get home from work!

I usually serve this with corn bread or corn chips. My kids like it sprinkled with cheese and topped with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Pardon the not so great picture. I forgot to take one of the finished product until I had almost eaten all of the left-overs! — Pardon the not so great picture. I forgot to take one of the finished product until I had almost eaten all of the left-overs!