White Bean and Apple Chili

 

In attempts to get good use out of my fancy new crock pot, I have been scouring the internet for prospective recipes. Jenn directed me towards this one where the author took on the challenge to cook something in her crock pot everyday for a year. She has amassed quite a collection of ideas. A lot of them are soups, chilis, and casserole type dishes but she also has some more out of the ordinary options. I'm still a slow cooking newbie, so I thought I would start out with her White Bean and Apple Chili. I am a sucker for fruits in savory dishes, so it sounded great.

I thought the original recipe was lacking a little something, so I decided to add some chicken sausage to the mix.

5 hours later is was totally transformed!

 

It was delicious! I opted for jalapeno sausage which made it a little too spicy for my liking. Some sour cream could have helped too though. I would try a milder sausage and practically double the amount of beans. They got lost in the mix a little. Otherwise, its a great recipe!

White Bean and Apple Chili

3-4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed, kidney beans work well

1 medium onion, chopped

2 apples, cut into small chunks

3 cloves garlic, smashed

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth (When I was tossing everything in the crock pot, this didn't seem like enough liquid, so I went ahead and added 4 cups. Mistake. 3 cups is fine and mine ended up a little watery.)

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Chicken sausage, I used an entire package (5 sausages) of Spicy Jalapeno, chopped

Shredded cheese for topping

Put butter in the bottom of your crock pot (4 quart or larger). Add drained and rinsed beans. Chop the onion and the apples and add to the pot. Add the spices and pour in the broth. Stir in the yogurt. Cook on high for 4-5 hours (or on low for 8), until onions are tender. Top with shredded cheese if desired. It would also be nice with crusty bread. Enjoy!