African Chili

One of the best things about starting up an endeavor like Cool Dads Cook; is meeting up with other foodies and bloggers that share your passion for delicious, homemade food. A few weeks ago, Cool Dads was approached by a Milwaukee area cook, Yollande Deacon- the owner of Afro Fusion Cuisine. Yollande was kind enough to bring us samples of two of her different spice blends; as well as a jar of her West African tomato herb sauce.

We took to Yollande right away, because of her passion for supporting local farmers, the fact her spices are low-sodium and full of real ingredients (in her tomato sauce you could see fresh chunks of ripe tomato and onion); and her desire to make West African food accessible to everyone. Oh- and the fact her spices and sauces were delicious!

We actually met with Yollande two nights in a row- the first night when she came to drop off the spices and sauce; and the next night when she dropped off some different sausage samples for us to try. Best believe the Arkansas test kitchen was pretty jealous of all the delicious samples we had....

Here in the Wisconsin test kitchen, we took the tomato herb sauce and decided to use it as the base for chili.

African Inspired Chili

1 jar Joloff & Thieboudienne West African Tomato Herb Sauce
1 pound ground turkey, browned
2 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 whole tomatoes, diced
3 medium sized carrots, chopped
1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken/vegetable stock

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 3 hours. This is guaranteed to fill your house with a delicious, curry aroma that's going to have your mouth watering all day.

The chili was delicious, hearty and had a small amount of heat and delicious curry flavor. The vegetables paired well with the sauce; and it was the perfect warm meal to eat while watching Sunday football. We're hooked.

Are you interested in trying some of Yollande's sauces? They're available for sale at:
Good Harvest Market- Pewaukee
Metcalfe's Sentry- Wauwatosa
Outpost Grocery Store locations

Outside of Milwaukee and interested in purchasing? It's in the works! Check out Yollande's website for recipes, ideas and even a free cookbook download!
http://www.learnafricancuisine.com/

We love supporting other cooks, and can't wait to share other recipes inspired by Yollande soon!

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Cook Crew