Saturday, October 30, 2010

The best ever Pumpkin Chili, hands down.

Recipe Status: A great low fat, high fiber chili that you'd never know it had pumpkin in it. It's great because the pumpkin is the base of the chili, so you don't get the acidity tomatoes give. But no worries, the salsa gives you enough of the tomato flavor. This usually wins at our chili cook-off's each year, but I think they gave someone else a chance this year... ;)

2 lbs ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 package fajita seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ea. Salt & Pepper
1 16 oz can pumpkin
1 cup salsa (medium tastes better)
1 small can diced green chilis
1 28 oz can black or dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Brown turkey, onion & garlic until almost no longer pink. Add fajita seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to blend the seasonings. Reduce heat to med-low. Stir in salsa, green chilis and pumpkin. Bring to a gentle boil, and stir in beans. Let simmer for a few hours to let flavors blend. I like to cook the meat and seasonings, then mix everything together in the crock pot and let it cook on low for the afternoon.

Serve with a glop of sour cream, cheese, diced green onions, olives etc. This also is quite tasty with baked potatoes and Indian fry bread. Happy harvest!