When temperatures and snow start falling, it’s time to bring out the slow cooker and find the chili recipes. There’s nothing better than a bowl of chili on a cold, windy day.

Like spaghetti sauce, everyone seems to have their own chili recipe, so chances are chili can be quite different depending on the region and the way your mom made it. But we can agree it’s a favorite comfort food, and it even has its own day — Feb. 27.

While it’s not certain exactly when or how chili originated, many historians believe this dish was first created in Texas and was influenced by the Spanish, Mexican and Native Americans who were living there at the time. 

Originally, it was a stew made from meat and chili peppers and had the name “chili con carne,” meaning “chili peppers with meat” in Spanish. It grew in popularity among cowboys and frontier settlers and was a star dish at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Since then, chili is a regional thing. Texans make their chili with chili peppers, meat and spices — no beans. At chili cook-offs throughout the country, there are limitless ways to make a “bowl of red.” Chili can have a variety of meat, beans, vegetables and sometimes even noodles. And chili can range from mild to extra spicy, depending on a cook’s preference.

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It may surprise you that chili can indeed be a healthy food if you make some healthy additions to the pot. The iconic dish — typically made with ground meat, tomatoes, kidney beans and seasonings — is packed with protein, fiber (thanks, beans) and iron. This makes chili relatively healthy, provided you don’t get too carried away with high-fat toppings like sour cream and cheddar cheese.

If you choose to add lean ground beef or lean ground turkey, you can reduce the fat content and lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart risk. If you add more beans to your chili — no matter what variety — you add fiber, magnesium and folic acid. Beans help increase good cholesterol (HDL), reduce blood pressure and fight inflammation. Popular beans include kidney, pinto, black, great northern and garbanzo, as well as navy, cannellini, adzuki and cranberry beans.

When choosing between dried and canned beans, dried are less expensive, but most require a prolonged soaking period. While ready-to-use canned beans are more convenient, they often come with high levels of sodium. A good rinse of canned beans before adding them to your chili helps reduce its sodium level, and so does going with no-salt-added canned beans.

Adding various vegetables to chili also boosts the nutrition. Try adding bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, petite diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, and even sweet potatoes and pumpkin.

A favorite at our house is White Chicken Chili. I typically make it with leftover roasted chicken and use whatever beans I have on hand. (I often roast a chicken in the slow cooker, adding carrots, celery and onion, and letting it cook until the meat literally falls off the bone. I serve it with mashed potatoes and vegetables. With the leftover meat, I make the chili.)

Here’s the recipe for White Chicken Chili and my version of ground beef chili.

White Chicken Chili

1 pound cooked chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (15-ounce) great northern or cannellini beans
1 can (15-ounce) corn, drained
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin, or white chicken chili seasoning packet
1 tablespoon oil

In a medium sauce pot, heat the oil and add the garlic, onion and green pepper. When soft, add the chicken with either a seasoning packet for white chicken chili or 1 teaspoon cumin. Add the beans and corn. Stir well. Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Traditional Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
1 can tomatoes and green chilies
1 can (15-ounce) black beans
1 can (15-ounce) chili beans in chili sauce
1 can (15-ounce) red kidney beans
1 packet Chili Man Chili seasoning

Brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and pepper. When brown, mix in the Chili Man Chili seasoning. In a slow cooker, add the ground beef mixture, tomato sauce, tomatoes and green chilies, and beans. Cook on low for six to eight hours or high for three to four hours.