Eggplant Chili

Don't be afraid to add veggies into a traditional chili. We had a leftover eggplant from eggplant parm my mom made last night, and I didn't want it to go to waste. I used a basic chili recipe and adapted and tasted until I made a really good flavor. This looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's really not, just a bunch of spices at the end.

• 2lbs ground beef




• 1 medium onion




• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic




• 1 large eggplant peeled and cubed




• 1 can diced or stewed tomatoes




• 1 26 ounce jar pasta sauce




• 1/4 cup water (add to empty sauce jar and shake up then dump in)




• 1 can kidney beans, drained




• 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour




• 2 Tablespoons chili powder




• 2 Tablespoons cumin powder




• 1 teaspoon salt




• 1 teaspoon black pepper




• 1 teaspoon garlic powder




• 1 teaspoon splenda




• 1 teaspoon dried parsley and oregano
  

In a large pot on medium heat brown beef, onions and diced garlic. Cook until meat is fully cooked. Drain off any extra fat. Add in all of the additional ingredients. Stir. Set heat to low and cook for 2 and a half hours with the pot covered. Serve in a bowl with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I never made this before, it was really delicious and fresh tasting!

Crock Pot Turkey Chili

It's been a crock pot week at my house. The weather is getting nice and I just don't feel like spending a lot of time cooking. Also, I am graduating college in December and I am taking a night course this summer (from 5-9:30) to get my GPA up some more and so I have an easy last semester. So the crock pot has been my best friend this passed week. My mom has been making this recipe for years, only with beef instead. But I kicked it up a notch with more spices! You can use lean ground beef but I prefer turkey.

• 1lb ground turkey (or beef)



• 2 24oz cans Hunt's tomato sauce (or one 40oz jar of tomato sauce, the sauce amount is not an exact science just make sure there is enough to cover the meat and beans and make sure it is NOT one of those "meat flavored" or "cheese flavored" sauces, just plain tomato sauce please)



• 1 can pink beans (drained)



• 1 can kidney beans (drained--or you can use two kidney beans, I just like the pink and red combo)



• 1/2 a box frozen corn (or one can drained)



• 1 envelope McCormick chili seasoning



• 1 Tablespoon chili powder



• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder



• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

Add all the ingredients in the crock pot except the turkey and turn on low. Brown the turkey in a large skillet with cooking spray. Drain if there is any fat, but I usually have none. Add turkey into the crock pot, stir and that's it! Wait about 6 hours then serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream on top. This is SO good, I could eat it every day and LOADED with protein. This recipe makes a good amount, but I freeze individual portions and eat for lunch.

*Note- you can cook this on high for 2-3 hours also.