Hearty Beef Chili

Ingredients

• 28  ounce diced tomatoes, undrained
• 10  ounce chopped tomatoes and green chili peppers, undrained
• 2  cups vegetable juice or tomato juice
• 1 - 2  tablespoons chili powder
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 3  cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2  pounds beef or pork stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2  cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2  cups chopped celery
• 1  cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2  15-ounce black beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
•   Reduced-fat cheddar, low-fat sour cream and cilantro (optional)

Directions

In a 6-quart cooker, combine both cans of tomatoes, vegetable juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic. Mix in the meat, onion, celery, and pepper. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in the drained beans, then cover and cook for 15 minutes more (if using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting). Ladle chili into bowls. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, if desired.