White Bean Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I really need to get into the habit of putting my memory card right back in my camera as soon as I am finished uploading my pictures. Tonight when I was finished cooking I took a picture of my meal with the intent of posting it on this blog. As I sat down to do so, I realized the memory card was still in my computer, not my camera. Luckily I had some leftovers I could take a picture of to share with you.

I found this recipe on a the facebook page called Skinny Crock Pot . They have a bunch of recipes that I would love to try, especially since they are lower in calories and I am on the constant battle to lose my muffin top. I 'like' a lot of recipe pages on facebook. It makes finding new recipes and ideas super easy since they just pop up right on my news feed.

• 1 1/4 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 chopped yellow pepper
• 1 chopped orange pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5oz can chopped green chilies

Heat a skillet over medium heat to brown the turkey. Drain and add onion, garlic, peppers, and all spices except the bay leaves. Saute a few minutes. Put in crock pot with pumpkin puree, broth, beans, chilies, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

I made a few changes to this recipe:

1. I used a green pepper instead of the orange pepper. I am not a fan of red or orange peppers at all. If something is cooked with red pepper I can't even just pick the pieces out or eat around them. The flavor infuses the entire meal and I just cant eat it. This is my own personal preference, everyone has a few things they just don't like no matter how it is prepared.
2. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. No personal preference here, I just have my vegetable broth on hand in the freezer. I would rather use what I have then spend the money. Especially when my vegetable broth was homemade from fresh veggies, while store bought chicken broth is bound to be loaded with lots of sodium and who knows what else.
3. I left out the green chilies entirely. I felt they would make the meal too spicy for Sophia. It had a little bit of spice from the chili powder so the extra heat was not needed for my family.

As I chopped the onion and peppers, I saved the top and skins from the onion and the core of the peppers. I put them in a big Ziploc bag and tossed it in the freezer. As I come across scraps from veggies I will add them to this bag. When the bag is full and my supply of vegetable broth runs low, I will use the contents of this bag to make new broth. I used to just throw these "un-useable" pieces of veggies right down the garbage disposal. It took less than a minute to save these pieces and will save a few dollars in the long run. I will not have to buy as many new veggies when I want to make broth nor will I ever have to buy premade broth. Plus by making homemade broth, I am able to better control the quality of food Sophia and I consume.

This was pretty good. Maybe not my favorite meal I have cooked, but something I would do again. I usually don't have to add salt to much, but I did have to add some salt and pepper when I sat down to eat. The pumpkin flavor was not overpowering at all. Some pumpkin flavored foods are too strong for my liking. My sister, Chrissy, stopped by and I made her try some. She is not a fan of pumpkin and even she said she couldn't taste it in there. The only taste she didn't like was the cumin. It is one of her least favorite flavors. I didn't notice a very strong cumin flavor, but maybe it is just like how I am with the red pepper. If there is one flavor in a meal that you do not like, that is what will probably stand out the most. I sent her home with some home to give to her husband and I will be bringing some to my mother tomorrow. I look forward to hearing their reactions as well.

This recipe made way more than I needed for just one night. After I separated some for my brother in law and my mom, I was able to freeze about 2 cups and still have some leftovers to have later in the week.