Sweet Potato + Turkey Chili

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Fall is my absolutely favorite time of year. Of course living in Arizona I don’t get the Fall I love in Utah. (Heard they had about 4 inches of snow a few days ago.) So while the weather is not telling me to pull out my hearty soups and savory dishes, my mouth sure is. I found this recipe online and decided to try it. I cannot say whether it is a quick meal to make or not – I was on the phone with my Mom the whole time and I can’t cook and talk at the same time! But it seems like a pretty easy recipe if you are not distracted by gripping tales from Salt Lake!

This recipe worked great for me because I had everything in my pantry, minus the ground turkey, but I am sure I could have substituted ground beef. So first gather all the ingredients so they are close at hand.

Then begin the chopping! Here is a handy little hint - I found that sometimes when I would get going on chopping my board would slide around. I clipped out a piece of that rubber mat you put in drawers and slip it under my cutting board. Works great! A Small wet dishcloth works too. 

So chop up the onions, garlic, sweet pepper, and jalapenos. 

If you don't know the simple way to chop an onion here is a quick little tutorial:

Peel your onion and cut in half horizontally and make a cut through the middle

Make cuts from one end to the other of your desired size

Then starting from the flat cut end begin chopping desired cubed sizes

I always keep a "garbage bowl" on my counter when I am cooking. I can discard everything into it and then just dump it all when I am finished. 

Heat your skillet on medium heat and add 1 1/2 tsp olive oil. When shiny, add onions, peppers, garlic and jalapenos. 

Saute about 5 minutes until they become fragrant.

While this is sauteing, chop mushrooms. When pepper mixture is ready remove from heat and place into slow cooker. Return skillet to heat and add remaining olive oil. Add ground turkey and mushrooms. Sprinkle in seasonings : cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder, and paprika. Cook thoroughly and add mixture to slow cooker.

While turkey mixture is cooking, peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. 

Add your sweet potatoes, tomatoes, black beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and cocoa powder to slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cooking times :

 4-6 Hours on High

8-10 Hours on Low

I think this would a be perfect swerved in little cleaned out pumpkins with cheesy cornbread on the side. 

::  enjoy  ::

Ingredients

1 TBS olive oil

1 medium onion, dices

2 garlic cloves, mined

1 bell pepper, diced

1-2 jalapenos, mined

20 oz ground turkey

8 oz mushrooms, chopped or minced

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

1.2 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, peeled and diced 1/2“ pieces

1 – 28oz. can diced tomatoes (not drained)

2 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

32 oz beef broth

1 – 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder


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Behind the scenes

The after math......

Who wants to come clean my kitchen???