with @MoonMountainMan

Where the pavement ends, adventure begins. Gather down the doubletrack with essential overlanding gear, handpicked by Dometic ambassador @moonmountainman and a scrumptious fall chili recipe by his wife Natasha, perfect for cooler evenings around the campfire.

“Cooler temperatures always inspire me to cook hearty one-pot recipes,” says Natasha “Our family loves this chili as it just hits the spot and warms your body and soul. I like that it is a balanced meal with different nutrients in one dish – and it looks so pretty in a bowl, with so many ingredients of different colors. I try to bring as many fresh ingredients as possible with us camping, and the Dometic CFX3 powered cooler truly helps us accomplish that goal.”

“We love the CFX3 because it allows us not to sacrifice healthy eating while we are away from home chasing adventures,” says Jacob.

Natasha encourages playing around with spices and herbs that you like best. “Sometimes I like to add dried ground mushrooms for an extra umami flavor. This chili marries together sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. That bitter flavor is my favorite and “secret” ingredient, cacao. It just works so you’ll need to trust me on this one.”

This chili is especially good if you pair it with some cornbread and, of course, fantastic views.

Campsite Difficulty: 5/10   
 
Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground bison ( or grass-fed beef) 
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 can)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 cups of stock of choice or water
• 1 can black beans
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup sweet potatoes, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cacao
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 juice from one lime, squeezed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 avocado, chopped for garnish  
   

Directions:

Spray a little bit of avocado oil into the bottom of the pot and sauté your onions first. After that add ground bison, garlic powder, diced jalapenos. You may also use fresh minced garlic. 
 
After the meat is about done add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, stock or water, diced sweet potatoes, chili powder and salt. Cook on a small flame until sweet potatoes are almost cooked. 
 
Add black beans, cacao, honey, chopped red bell pepper and cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add corn and cook for another minute until the corn is warmed through (if it was frozen). Taste and add more salt if needed.  
Turn off the heat and stir in cilantro and squeeze juice from one lime. Serve with avocado and corn bread or corn chips. 
 
We usually just bring an organic cornbread mix to make it easier while camping and cook it in a Dutch oven if we are planning to have a fire.