Chicken, cubed squash star in slow-cook chili

Start this chili first thing in the morning and by lunchtime supper will be ready. The recipe calls for cooked chicken, making it an ideal way to use leftovers, or an excuse to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.

To save time, look for prepped butternut squash in the produce department or freezer section at the grocery store.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash

Chicken Chili 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons dried parsley 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt 3 cups low-sodium chicken

broth 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and well drained

2 ½ cups shredded or cubed

cooked chicken 3 cups peeled and cubed

butternut squash 1 (14 ½ -ounce) can crushed

tomatoes

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and saute until vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley, oregano, cumin and chili powder and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more.

Transfer vegetable mixture to the cooking vessel of a 5-quart or larger slow cooker, and add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until squash is tender. Makes about 10 servings. Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 200 calories, 17 g protein, 6 g fat, 23 g carbohydrate (5 g sugar), 30 mg cholesterol, 420 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 1 ½ .