A very, chilly morning (39 degrees to be exact) made me realize that fall has definitely arrived. That and the crunching of the newly, fallen leaves as I walked down the sidewalk made me a little sad that summer is really gone. Sad for only a moment though when it dawned on me that my love of all comfort foods could now be hidden away beneath thick, knitted sweaters and heavy coats! Yay for fall!

I thought I would whip up a batch of my favorite chili in celebration. The black beans help make this hearty meal a little extra filling without adding fat or a ton of calories. This makes about 8-10 servings and freezes very well. It’s great to have on hand for busy weeknights. By starting out a little “light” even though this is a very satisfying and hearty meal, I may still be able to squeeze into my skinny jeans for a couple more months…..at least until I start the holiday baking. 🙂

This can be made on the stove top (as described below) or throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker and turn on low for 6-8 hours. Be sure to brown the meat first but do not cook the vegetables, just stir everything together with the browned ground turkey and go!

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

8-10 servings (depending on how big your bowl is)

1 lb ground turkey

1 large vidalia or other sweet onion, diced

1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (you can add more if you like more heat)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1  7 ounce jar of Peppadew peppers or sweet peppers, chopped (I used half of a 14 oz jar)

1 15.5 ounce can of black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained

1 28 ounce can of tomato puree

1 15.5 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (or regular diced)

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

In a large dutch oven, over med-high heat, brown the ground turkey and remove to a bowl once cooked. Drain fat reserving two tablespoons and add back to the pot. Saute the onions and peppers until softened, approximately 5-7 minutes. Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, add the peppadew peppers and the juice from the jar stirring to combine. Add the ground turkey, black beans, tomato puree and diced tomatoes stirring thoroughly.

Add the remaining ingredients, brown sugar through pepper and taste for seasoning. You may add more cayenne to adjust the heat.

Simmer on Med-Low heat for 30 minutes or up to and hour. Add 1/4 cup of water if the chili starts to become too thick.

Top with cheddar cheese, corn chips or cilantro.