Sometimes you need to make dinner for a group that night without planning or when you have a long day at work or away from home, or you have to bring a dish to a potluck when you are really busy all around the event and do not have time for shopping or really even preparing food.  No worries, I have one for you that can be made from the staples you have in your home and can be prepped in twenty minutes or less, and for almost any diet, in case your friends are as weird as me and mine.

Easy Slow Cooker Chili (Lunch, Dinner)

• 1-2 lbs ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, etc)
• 48-64oz V-8 or vegetable juice
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp arrowroot
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/8-1 tsp cayenne, depending on what your in to
• 1 15-0z can diced tomatoes, pulsed or crushed with fork
• 1 10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles (or a second can of diced tomatoes if that is all you have)
• skip if paleo or keto:
  • 2 15-oz cans beans, rinsed (kidney, black, white, or assorted)
• optional vegetables:
  • 1/2 cup corn or hominy
  • 1-2 handfuls baby spinach
  • 1 cup cut okra
  • 1 pkg vegetarian crumbles, thawed

1. Brown ground meat in skillet, adding 1 tbsp oil if greater than 85% lean. Remove meat to the slow cooker, and discard all but 2 tbsp fat. Skip this step if vegetarian and just add oil to pan.
2. Saute onions 5-10 minutes, until translucent and soft.  Add garlic and cook another two minutes.  Add arrowroot, chili powder, cumin, and coriander.  Stir, cooking, until highly aromatic and pasty.
3. Off of heat, add cayenne, stir, add tomatoes, scrap out of pan into slow cooker, taking care to leave as little of the paste behind as possible.
4. Add beans to slow cooker.  If using frozen or canned corn or hominy add now.  If using frozen okra, add now.
5. Cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours (or longer if you are away from the pot for a specific period of time.
6. Stir, add fresh corn or okra if using and cook for one hour.
7. Stir, add baby spinach and cook ten minutes.
8. Serve with fresh diced onions, pickled jalapeños, cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced cabbage, chopped cilantro, and/or corn chips.