TNT (Tried N True) Chili Recipe

This is an awesome bean recipe. I originally got the recipe from bean council, I believe, and then I tweaked it a little for us. The original recipe didn't have tomato paste and only called for two cans of beans, plus it called for diced tomatoes with green chiles which we substituted petite diced tomatoes and also canned chiles. The petite diced tomatoes just break down a little better, the tomato paste thickens things up a bit, the extra beans stretch the chili and add a little more texture and color, and honestly, you can't find petite diced tomatoes with green chiles in the can without paying an arm and a leg for them. Make this recipe with ground turkey, and you have a meal incredibly high in protein, low in fat, low in sodium, high in vitamin C and other nutrients. It freezes well too, so freeze in 1 cup portions and have a stash in the freezer to heat and eat with sandwiches, on baked potatoes, or just on its own!

1 lb ground beef or turkey
3 14.5-oz cans petite diced tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste
7 oz can diced green chiles
3 14.5-oz cans beans, rinsed and drained - we like a mix of great northern, black, and dark red kidney
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 - 1 medium bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 T packed light brown sugar
1 T cocoa powder
(the sugar and cocoa powder help to cut the heat so that the chili doesn't continue to heat past your tongue!)

Brown the meat in a skillet, draining off any fat if necessary. Stir in the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and saute the mix until the onion and pepper begin to soften.
Mix all of the ingredients in a 6 qt crockpot. Cook on low for anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours. This is a forgiving recipe, and the flavors will blend best with the longer cook time. I put this recipe in the crockpot at 8 a.m., I will scoop some out at noon for me to take to work for my dinner, and A will be able to dish up a bowl for himself at 6 or 7 this evening for his dinner, putting the rest in the fridge for leftovers. We'll be eating this with yesterday's pinto bean bread too!