3 lb. ground beef (or venison)
1 1/2 large yellow, white or purple onions (white is strong, yellow milder, purple is mild. I use 1 white and 1/2 purple)
1 red or yellow pepper (red looks better in the mix)
2 green peppers
3 celery stalks (optional)
3 or 4 green jalapenos (4-inch hot variety)
6 peeled garlic cloves, chopped fine (or 4 tbsp. minced garlic)
2 zucchini (6 to 8-inch each)
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. chili powder
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. A1 sauce
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
3 (15 oz. ea.) cans stewed tomatoes (Italian style adds an interesting flavor)
4 (15 oz. ea.) cans kidney or pinto beans
1-2 cups water

Chop the onions, green and red peppers, jalapenos (make sure you remove the seed areas from all peppers), celery and zucchini (keep the zucchini separate). Mince the garlic if you use fresh cloves. Do NOT rub your eyes after chopping onions or jalapenos. Cook up the meat in it’s own pan.

While that’s cooking, throw the chopped onions, peppers, celery, jalapenos and garlic into a large pot or Dutch oven preheated on the stove top with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Hold the zucchini for now. Stir the veggies every so often, stir the meat. Both should be very lightly browned. Pour the 3 cans of tomatoes into a bowl, wash your hands well with a liquid soap, and manually squish the tomatoes to break up the big pieces. Add the salt, chili powder, brown sugar, A1 sauce, and tomato paste. Stir it all together and set aside.

Do not sneeze during this phase of the recipe. Drain the beans into a colander and rinse lightly. Add the meat to the pot of veggies, draining the grease first. Add the tomato/spice mix. Add the beans. Mix everything together and add water (usually 1 1/2 cups is enough). Stir, and set on simmer for two or three hours. Add the chopped zucchini (the zucchini doesn’t like to be overcooked).

Simmer again for an hour, and you’re done!

Note: Adjust the spiciness by reducing or increasing the jalapenos or chili powder, but overall this won’t make you break into a sweat or wish you hadn’t eaten it later.

This freezes up well, and makes a fine dip for your favorite corn chips. The brown sugar can be increased a bit to keep the spicy taste down.

Submitted by: BisonJump