10-Alarm Turkey Chili (February 9, 2010)

carla suggested chili, and she had a new recipe in mind – this 10-alarm turkey chili, as found on hungry girl dot com.

here’s how it works:

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Ingredients:
1 lb. raw lean ground turkey
One 29-oz. can tomato sauce
One 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
One 15-oz. can chili beans (pinto beans in chili sauce), undrained
One 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained
4 – 5 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, sauce reserved
2 bell peppers (in different colors), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 oz. VERY dark chocolate (70%+ cacao), broken into small pieces
salt, to taste
Optional topping: fat-free sour cream

Directions:
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add turkey and spread it around in the pan to break it up a bit. Cook and crumble until meat is brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Drain any fat or liquid, and then transfer turkey to the crock pot.

Add all other ingredients except for the chocolate to the crock pot. Add 1 tbsp. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotles). Mix well to combine.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, and then reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 3 hours. (OR cover and cook on low for 6 – 7 hours straight.)

Add chocolate and stir until pieces melt and disappear into chili. Cover and cook for 1 hour longer on low. Add salt to taste. If you like, top each serving with a little sour cream. Mmmmm!!!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

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we stayed quite close to the recipe. i have to say, i LOVED this chili. she warns that it’s very spicy; it IS spicy, but i wouldn’t warn anybody about it. it definitely gets my nose running, but for me it’s the perfect degree of spiciness. i’m sure it’s the chipotles and adobo sauce that make this something special. anyways, we had it over the weekend for the superbowl, and i thought it was better than the solid pumpkin chili we’ve made before, and better than the very good vegan squash chili we’ve made in the past as well. i give at a big A+.

carla – it was yummy. i liked the smoky flavor of the chipotles…i would like to try to make it again without turkey. i would give it an A.

Black Bean Chili with Winter Squash (December 17, 2006)

(Also known as Superbowl Chili)

1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 lg. choppted onion (1.5 cups)
1 med. diced yellow bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped mild green chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. chipotle chilie powder (we used chayenne)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 med winter squash (we used butternut) (about 2 lbs)
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beans, broth, tomatoes, green chilies, chili powder, chipotle chili powder and oregano. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 more minutes.

2. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds, peirce witha fork a few times, and put in a microwave-safe dish iwth 1/4 inch water. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave on HIGH 8 minutes or unitl tender. Let cool; peel with a small sharp knife, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Stir squash into bean mixture; cook 5 minutes. Stir in salt. Serve warm. (Serving size 1.75 cups)

David: the chili was great! the squash was very tasty, and the whole thing had the correct level of spiciness – enough so that you notice, but not so much that you are overpowered by it. definitely an A.
Carla: I loved that I found this in a magazine and made it AND it turned out really good. Easy…takes a bit of time with the squash, but it was really good. I want to make it again soon! A

Pumpkin Chili Mexicana

carla and i have been really hungry, since, judging by this blog, the last time cooked something was nine days ago! thus, without delay, the recipe (again from allrecipes):

INGREDIENTS

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans canned peeled and diced tomatoes
* 1 (15 ounce) can Pumpkin
* 1 (15 ounce) can canned tomato sauce
* 1 (15.25 ounce) can canned kidney beans, drained
* 1 (4 ounce) can Diced Green Chiles
* 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. HEAT vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add turkey; cook until browned. Drain.
2. ADD tomatoes with juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

a nice little recipe. it’s the right time of year for pumpkin, it was easy enough to put together, it already had ground turkey in the recipe, i enjoy cumin (and added some cayenne for luck)…so how was it?

David – as a fan of chili, i was happy with the recipe! though nothing terribly special (to be honest, i had a hard time telling that there was anything pumpkin happening in here), it was quite tasty. it’s certainly going on the list of things that i’d be willing to make again. bonus points due to the fact that there are enough leftovers to live with for quite a while! i give it the coveted A minus!

Carla – a typical chili flavor; i was expecting something different by adding the pumpkin, but this didn’t change the flavoring that much. some cornbread would’ve been a nice touch, had we thought of it sooner. A-