Easy Crock Pot Chili - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb beef stew meat (can also use buffalo stew meat or omit for vegetarian option )
30 ounces canned red kidney beans (2 15 oz. cans drained of liquid and rinsed. I use BPA-free cans & Organic)
28 ounces diced tomatoes (also use BPA-free cans & organic if you can find them)
16 ounces tomato sauce (also use BPA-free cans & organic if you can find them)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more per taste. This depends on the heat strength of your cayenne)
1 pinch creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning if avaliable)
1 bay leaf

Preparation

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. (if using stew meat or buffalo meat only brown the meat, do not fully cook!).
Drain meat if necessary.
Combine meat/onion/garlic mixture with the remainder of the ingredients and put in slow cooker.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Remove bay leaf prior to serving.
I use Frontier Co-op spices that I purchase at my local health food co-op. I find their spices are extremely fresh and their 90,000 hu cayeene is great for slow-cooking recipes!
If making this as a vegetarian chili, simply skip the meat and add more beans. I love to add black beans. Yum!
Serve over rice or eat as is.