Sunday, November 13, 2011

Pumpkin Chili?

I like to randomly browse recipes and cooking blogs online even though I rarely have the time these days to try new recipes. A few of my facebook friends mentioned that they had made pumpkin chili this fall. And I LOVE pumpkin!! But pumpkin chili? That sounded kinda sketchy. I browsed around a few recipes, but I just was too nervous to take the plunge. But then I got sick and chili sounded like the perfect cure. I tweaked an online recipe to fit what I had in my cupboards and I really liked it. The pumpkin isn't over powering and it had just the right amount of heat. However, when Luke tried it, his reaction was "That's interesting." I guess we can't all have refined palates. Give it a shot...there's a 50% chance you'll like it. Ha! I'm really selling this one.


Please note: I don't really measure when I cook, so these are my best guestimates.

Pumpkin turkey chili

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb turkey
1/2 tsp beef bouillon (just the powder...don't add water)
1/2 cup+ canned plain pumpkin puree (I don't think you could go go wrong with more)
15 oz can of black beans, drained
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
pinch of salt
pepper
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 TBSP chili powder (I like some spice)
1 dash cayenne pepper

Saute onions, pepper and garlic in olive oil til soft in a big skillet or dutch oven. Add turkey meat and cook til brown. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and season as it simmers. The original recipe said to simmer for 20 minutes, but I don't think I waited that long to dive in! I ate mine plain, but could be served with cheese and sour cream!!