I like to make chili a few times in the fall and winter, and have a few variations I like to do.  This one is one of our favorite versions--I use healthier ground turkey instead of beef and add in some Mexi-flavors with the black beans and corn.  It's filling and delicious and even better, it can be a great weekday meal.  You can brown the turkey the night before, then put everything in the crock pot/slow cooker before you leave the next AM and it'll be ready for you by evening!


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil (or use cooking spray)
1 Pound Lean Ground Turkey





1/4 Cup minced Onion (or use regular onion)
1 (10.75 ounce) Can Low-Sodium Tomato Soup

1 (14.5 ounce) Can No-Sodium Diced Tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) Can Tomato Sauce
1 (15 ounce) Can filled with water
2 (15 ounce) Cans kidney beans, drained (I used one light kidney and one dark kidney can)
1 (15 ounce) Can Black Beans, drained
12 oz Frozen Yellow Corn (I have substituted with white corn before)
2 1/2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
3 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (or cooking spray) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place turkey and minced onion in the skillet; cook until evenly brown; drain.
2. Coat the inside of a slow cooker/crock pot with cooking spray, and combine the turkey with all of the other ingredients (tomato soup, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,  water kidney beans, black beans, and corn).  Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper.  Stir well to mix.
3. Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
4. Serve hot with cheddar cheese or jack-cheddar and crackers or tortilla chips.

For freezing, divide soup into two large freezer bags.  Once at room temperature, cool completely in the refrigerator.  Once cold, put soup into a second freezer bag (better safe than sorry with freezer burn) and be sure to label and date the soup (I include the date I made it and the "eat by" date).  Freeze up to 3 months.
To reheat, dip the bag into hot water for 5 minutes.  Then, put soup into stockpot.  Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
Approx 8 servings; 280 calories per serving; 8.7 g of fat (1.9 g sat fat); 42 mg cholesterol; 680 mg sodium; 32.9 g total carbs; 21.1 g protein;
21% Vit A; 43% Vit C; 9% Calcium; 43% Iron; 48% Niacin; 20% Vit B6; 24% Magnesium; 54% Folate