Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Fall is my absolute favorite season.  It is the time of year when you get to start wearing sweaters again.  Watching TV with a blanket while it is raining outside is really a little piece of heaven to me.  When I think of fall I immediately think of warm soups, stews and chili’s.

Little did I realize when picking Cincinnati Turkey Chili for night 2 of Cooking Light Week that it was going to be a raining and stormy day.  What a perfect day to come home from a late meeting at work to a warm chili in the crock pot.

The Cincinnati Turkey Chili didn’t originally call to be made in the crock pot but I figured you can pretty much put most things in the crock pot and just let them simmer all day, especially chili.

With only a small modification to the recipe to keep the chili from getting dry we ended up with a great turkey chili.  Since the chili was going to be cooking all day I decided to omit the spaghetti noodles from the recipe.  After it cooked all day it needed a little more liquid added to give it the texture traditionally found in chili so I added about half a cup of tomato sauce.  With a little cheese on top we were left with a warm bowl of turkey chili, a pretty good first try at the recipe.  I would love to see how this recipe turns out when made according to the actual recipe.

I was surprised to realize when putting this meal together that this is the first time I have ever made turkey chili.  Thanks to this blog I am trying new things and really experiencing the world of food.

Cincinnati Turkey Chili

8 ounces lean ground turkey

1 1/2 cups onion

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground all spice

1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 1/2 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup tomato sauce

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Put all ingredients through salt into your crock pot on low 8 hours.  Prior to serving add 1/2 cup tomato sauce and let warm up.  Garnish each both with a handful of cheese.

See how easy that is to have a warm bowl of chili waiting for you when you get home from work!