It's chilly, so chili!

On a chilly fall evening, what could be better than a hot bowl of chili? We love chili at my house, and I am always trying new chili recipes. This one caught my eye because it was different. Trying unusual recipes is one of my favorite things to do. And this one was a huge success! What made it so unique was the squash that was added. You would never think to add squash to a chili. But it was amazing! It added an interesting juxtaposed of spicy and sweet with the chili peppers and the sweet squash. Very tasty. And a hit with the baby again. ;)





Butternut squash and Turkey Chili
(from allrecipes.com - I really like that website!)

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground turkey  1 pound butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chilies

2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid 1 (15.5 ounce) can white hominy, drained 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir for 3 minutes, then add the turkey, and stir until crumbly and no longer pink.
2.	Add the butternut squash, chicken broth, green chilies, tomatoes, kidney beans, hominy, and tomato sauce; season with chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Things I did differently (because you know I can never take a recipe at face value); I used a delicata squash instead of butternut squash. I didn't want to cut up a butternut squash because I wouldn't use the whole thing. A delicata is the perfect size. Plus, it's a lot easier to prepare for this recipe. It has a much thinner skin, so you can just use a peeler, or cook it with the peel even. Instead of using a can of chilies  I used a can of rotel tomatoes and a can of chopped tomatoes. I never buy hominy  and haven't tried it, so I used black beans instead. I am partial to black beans anyway. :) A whole tablespoon of cumin is an awful lot of cumin, and since it's such a strong flavor, I put in just a little over a teaspoon. It was so yummy! This is definitely going to be a repeat recipe.