mommy cooks: indian summer turkey chili

temperatures are getting colder here in the midwest.  it may be nearly 70 today, but it's not supposed to get over 40 as the week wears on, and i even heard the word "snow."  ::shudders::  to me, a perfect winter meal is a soup or chili- there's just something about the hot liquid that warms you right up.  to me, it's comfort food.  now, i make a mean chili, but we are trying to eat healthier, so we have been making a lot of meals with turkey meat instead of ground beef- turkey is a great replacement for beef in burgers, and it's the perfect meat for this awesome chili that's colorful and full of veggies!  enjoy!

indian summer turkey chili

courtesy of rachael ray's big orange book

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 package ground turkey (i buy the leanest)

3 T dark chili powder

1 T grill seasoning

1 T cumin

2 T worcestershire sauce

2 T hot sauce

1 medium-large onion, chopped

2 large bell peppers, any color combination (orange, red, green, purple, yellow), ribs and seeds removed, chopped

3/4 cup of beer (alcohol cooks out)

1 28-oz can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup smoky bbq sauce

1 cups corn kernels

heat a pot over medium to medium-high heat.  add  evoo and the turkey.  season meat with chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, worcestershire and hot sauce.  crumble up meat and let cook about 5 minutes.  chop the bell peppers and onion, reserving 1/4 of onion for topping chili, if desired.  add veggies to meat and cook 10 minutes more.  add beer and deglaze pan, scraping up drippings while the alcohol cooks off.  add tomato and bbq sauce, and bring to a bubble.  add corn.  let simmer for 10 minutes.  adjust to taste.  

chili toppers (use all or some according to what you like)

shredded cheese: white cheddar, colby jack, pepper jack

sliced jalapenos

salsas

sour cream

chopped onion

chopped green olives

chopped cilantro

diced tomato

(i love a little bit of cheese, sour cream, green olives and cilantro on mine)