Autumn Pumpkin Chili

I did it!!! I finished my sweeps story! I thought it would never end! It took a lot of energy drinks, snack breaks, and brain power to get through the past two days, but it’s now over. Also, waiting in the parking lot of Baby Depot to “buy” a baby alligator from a shady guy sure does take a lot out of you.

One down, four more to go…when put that way, it seems like November will never end.

While I was at work today hammering away at my story, my crockpot was at home doing all the cooking for tonight’s dinner…have I mentioned how much I love crockpots/slow cookers? Oh, I haven’t? Well, I LOVE crockpots. I think if I met whoever invented crockpots, I would kiss them. Greatest. Invention. Ever.

I always prep my crockpot the night before so when I wake up in the morning all I have to do is plug-and-play. I browned the meat, onion, and veggies for this healthy chili last night, and then added them & the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. I left the crockpot-of-food in the fridge overnight so it wouldn’t harbor bacteria.

Oh, and I have to say this: I am actually NOT a fan of chili. I never have been. I got over a lot of my food-hates that I had when I was a kid, but not chili. Just the thought of it turns me off. So when I drew this recipe out of the box, I was pretty disappointed. A food adventure with chili? Yuck.

There’s a reason I wrote this recipe down, though. It’s not your average greasy, tomato-y chili. Instead, it combines ground turkey with onion, bell peppers, and zucchini to make this refreshing chili sing.

…and let’s not forget the not-so-secret ingredient to make this recipe perfect for fall.

Autumn Pumpkin Chili

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 TBS. canola oil
• 1 zucchini, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5-2 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4.5 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice

1. Saute onion & bell peppers in oil in a large skillet until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Crumble turkey into skillet, breaking up as it browns. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

               2. Transfer to a 3 quart slow cooker. Stir in the pumpkin, tomatoes, chili powder, pepper, salt, and allspice. Cover and cook on  low for 7-9 hours. Top with chopped onions, cheese, and sour cream.