Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

That little slow cooker I got a couple of weeks ago has been amazing! A couple of nights ago, I made a delicious turkey chili with beans in it. It looked like this:

Bubbly Bowl of Yumness

It consisted of ground turkey breast, tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, onions, green peppers, chili powder, and smoked paprika. I also added some corn kernels – I don’t know if it’s “proper” to put corn into chili (I know a lot of people have strong opinions about whether it’s okay to add beans, too!) but I like the taste and color. When Aaron and I ate our bowls of chili, we added 2% shredded cheddar cheese and some (okay, lots of) reduced-fat sour cream. I sprinkled a few green onions on top for color and crispycrunch.

Mmm... hot chili with cool sour cream.

To make the chili, I made up my own recipe as I went along.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Recipe (makes 5-6 servings):

What you need:

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I like petite diced)
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• splash of Tobasco sauce (to taste)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• reduced-fat sour cream, cheese, diced green onions, tobasco sauce, and/or baked corn chips for serving

How to do it:

1. Put the tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, frozen corn kernels, and spices into the slow cooker.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, sautee the peppers and onions in the canola oil on medium heat. When the onions are soft, add the ground turkey and continue to cook, breaking the turkey up into small chunks with a spatula or spoon. When the turkey is browned and cooked through, add the turkey, bell pepper, and onion mixture to the crock pot and stir to combine.
3. Cook the chili on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Season with salt, pepper, and Tobasco to your taste.
4. Serve the chili hot in bowls with cheese, sour cream, green onions, and corn chips (I used Garden of Eatin’ Black Bean Chips) as you wish.

This was another super cheap slow cooker meal. The turkey was about $3, the bell pepper $0.60, the red onion $0.75, the tomatoes $1, the beans $1, the corn $0.50, and the spices and seasonings maybe $0.50. That brings us to $7.35 for the whole pot. Divided by five servings, that’s $1.47 per serving. Add $1 or so for sour cream, cheese, chips, and green onions, and it’s still only $2.47 per serving. Not bad!

If you have lots of leftovers and are tired of eating this chili the same way every time, you could do what I did and make… nachos!

Turkey Chili Nachos

To make the nachos, I just spread some baked Black Bean Chips on a foil-lined, cooking spray sprayed baking sheet and preheated my oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. I spooned the leftover chili on top of the chips and topped them with a handful of sharp cheddar cheese made with 2% milk. I baked the nachos in the hot oven until the cheese was melted and the chips were warm. Then I removed the nachos from the oven and happily crunched into them.

Melty cheese, crunchy chips, and spicy chili belong together.

Healthy Nachos

I know, I know. “Healthy nachos” sounds like an oxymoron, but just take a look at these!

Healthy Nachos - Definitely NOT an Oxymoron

To healthify nachos, I started with a really good tortilla chip – Garden of Eatin’ Blue Chips. In addition to looking really cool and tasting delicious, they are made with organic, non genetically modified corn, and are baked rather than fried, which means fewer calories and a lot less fat – these chips only have 3 grams of saturated fat per serving. The black bean chips are good, too!

Then there was the question of what to put on top of the chips. I picked black beans, because they are yummy and have a ton of fiber. I added some cooked sweet corn. I sprinkled on some 2% sharp cheddar cheese and let it melt over the blue chips, beans, and corn in the oven. I decided I would pile on fresh tomatoes, red onions, red bell peppers, green onions, and jarred jalapeno peppers. I whipped up a batch of fresh guacamole (see previous post!) and got out the reduced-fat sour cream and Tobasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce. When it all came together, I snapped a few quick pictures and Aaron and I crunched our delicious, cheesy, colorful nachos while we watched Hell’s Kitchen (which we’re both crazy about).

Gooey Cheese, Crunchy Chips, Crisp Veggies

Recipe (serves 2):

What you need:

• Enough chips for two people, 2-3 big handfuls
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cooked yellow sweet corn
• 3/4 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup jarred jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)
• Tobasco sauce, to taste (optional)
• guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream, for serving

How to do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the chips in a single layer on the foil. Distribute the black beans and corn evenly over the chips. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the chips, beans, and corn. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the chips are warm. (Do not use fat free cheese – it doesn’t melt well!)
2. Remove the nachos from the oven and place onto serving plates. Sprinkle the tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, green onions, jalapeno peppers (if using) on top. Splash on the hot sauce (if using).
3. Serve with fresh guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream on the side. Enjoy!

The View from Atop Mount Nacho

Extreme Cheese-and-Bean Close-up

Pigeon desperately wanted to sample the nachos. While Aaron and I were sympathetic to her plight, we gently explained to her that nachos are not kitty food. Pigeon did not take the news well.

She grumped in her cat cube.

Pigeon might not be able to have nachos… but you can! And I hope you will! Soon!

Notice for Readers: Aaron and I will be going out of town for a week starting tomorrow (August 8th). We’re going to the North Carolina Outer Banks to vacation in a fancy beach house with Aaron’s family. I’m bringing my camera and plan to take a ton of food pictures, and I am 90% sure I’ll be able to update from the beach house. But, just in case I am not able to post, please don’t think I have fallen off the face of the earth. Simply expect a flood of posts in about a week. 🙂