So I was going through some recipes to find something easy.  It’s a busy weekend and I don’t have time for something elaborate.  I came across this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Indian Masala Chili.  I love Indian food and we love chili.  Problem was, I need to use what I had on hand and do this in my slow cooker.  When I’m busy, I prefer to throw something in my slow cooker instead of a 30 minute fast meal.  It’s much easier to make something hearty and filling.  I’m also not messing around trying to find something to make.  The stats weren’t horrible on this one, but I had some stuff to use up.  So most of the adjustments are for this purpose.

• 350 Calories
• 9 g Fat
• 57 mg Cholesterol
• 810 mg Sodium
• 899 mg Potassium
• 38 g Carbohydrates
• 27 g Protein
• 145% Vitamin A
• 90% Vitamin C
• 6% Calcium
• 16% Iron

Not too bad.  The sodium is a bit high, but delete the salt and that will fix the problem.  Here is what I changed:

• I used a slow cooker instead of the stovetop.
• I used garam masala instead of the spice mix in the recipe.
• I replaced the beans with a low sodium variety.
• I replaced the tomatoes with one can of pumpkin.
• I replaced the ground meat with boneless skinless chicken thighs and breast
• I added a can of low sugar diced mango for vitamin C.
• I increased the servings to 5.
• Added 1 red bell pepper for vitamin C.

Here are the final stats:

• 255 Calories
• 4 g Fat
• 53 mg Cholesterol
• 305 mg Sodium
• 394 mg Potassium
• 33 g Carbohydrates
• 23 g Protein
• 120% Vitamin A
• 136% Vitamin C
• 5% Calcium
• 11% Iron

Here is the final recipe:

Garam Masala Chili

Serves 5

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 15oz can low sodium garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 15 oz can low sugar diced mango
• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve.