My favorite time of year is when football season begins. There is nothing I love more than brisk Sundays on the sofa watching football. And this has absolutely nothing to do with the actual sport itself (I will never forget the look on my father’s face when I asked if the Braves were a good football team), but rather that it heralds “chili season”. And I live for chili season. If I were honest about how much chili I consume in the fall and winter (and even in the sweltering heat of summer) it would be one humiliating admission. Truly, I would be a viable candidate if there were such a thing as a chili-dependency intervention. Growing up, my mother put chili over spaghetti which is a-mazing (ala Cincinnati institution Sky Line-style) but I am a bit of a puritan and prefer to skip the spaghetti altogether. And seeing how I eat alarming amounts of the stuff, I have, out of necessity, come up with a simple and über healthy recipe that is oh so delicious. And the little ones LOVE it. Like mother, like daughter.

What you need:

1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 c. shredded zucchini & carrots
1 28 ounce can or box of chopped tomatoes
1 10 ounce can tomatoes and green chills (rotel or the like)
1 lb ground turkey
15 ounces drained dark red kidney beans
15 ounces drained red beans
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
salt & pepper
cayenne pepper to taste

what to do with it :

In a stock pot, sauté onions and garlic in good olive oil until translucent
Add in zucchini and carrots (shredded in the Cuisinart)
Add a bit of chicken stock or juice from tomatoes if needed to cook down vegetables
Cover and let cook on medium heat unit the vegetables have cooked down and are very soft
Add in tomatoes. Cook a bit longer
With an emulsion blender blend until vegetables are pureed but still maintain some texture

In a separate skillet cook the turkey until done and browned
Add to pot along with beans and spices. Let simmer for an hour or longer.

Serve topped off with grated cheddar, sour cream and green onion or chopped Italian parsley.
Yum.

modifications:
I add beer to mine in lieu of the tomato juice/ chicken stock- Shiner bock being my favorite.
When I am not feeding this to my kids I add tons of cayenne.

Enjoy.