Cara's recipe calls for ground turkey, but I had a package of veggie crumbles calling my name, so I used that instead and made a few other minor tweaks to her recipe to suit my taste. I used kidney beans instead of black and reduced to 1 cup, left out the corn (1/2 cup) and diced green chili peppers (1 small can), and added extra chicken broth to thin it out a little. I also added a heaping tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt at the end, just to perk up the consistency.
Overall, I was really happy with the way this turned out. Even my meat-loving husband admitted that it was quite the tasty batch of chili, though the texture of the veggie crumbles was definitely softer than it would have been with ground beef or turkey.
I also tried out a new recipe for a Chili Cook-off at work last week that had 2 secret ingredients: grape jelly and cocoa powder. I liked these additions and may try adding to a few servings later this week.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon (or 3 cloves) garlic, minced
1 chipotle pepper, minced (I didn't have this, so I left it out but it would certainly be delicious!)
1 package veggie ground "beef" or 1 lb. ground meat of choice
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans chicken stock
1 cup kidney beans
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
1. Place a large pan over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Saute onions and pepper until soft. Add garlic and chipotle pepper (if using) and cook 1 minute more, stirring.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meat or meat substitute. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and cook for about 8 minutes, or until browned. Drain fat and return to heat.
3. Stir in chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and salt. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-3 minutes more to allow flavors to blend.
Adapted from Cara's Cravings: Turkey Pumpkin Chili