Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Yesterday friend Lina says to me, and I quote "Ok. So for me to start following it (my blog) I need yummys with the following ingredients: milk. steak. pineapples. lentils. MMMmmm lentils."  Lol!  Challenge accepted Lina!  But, in celebration of Halloween yesterday, I wanted to cook up a healthy meal using pumpkin.  So here I am thinking hmm... what can I make that one, involves Lina's lentils, two, incorporates my pumpkin, three, is a healthy and hearty meal, and finally, of course it has to taste great!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili is the answer!!!

 
I have actually made Jamie Eason's 3 Bean Turkey Chili before and it was delicious (I'll post the recipe if anyone wants it).  But pumpkin... I had my doubts.  I set out to find a starter recipe and found one from Whole Foods Market which I tweaked to make it healthier, have plenty of left overs, and lower the calories per serving.

My Turkey Pumpkin Chili came out to UNDER 250 CALORIES per serving and it's packed with 22.8g of protein!!! Amazeballz!

Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup chopped Yellow Onion
- 1/2 cup chopped Peppers (I used red, yellow, and green)
- 1 seeded and chopped Jalapeno
- 2 tsp minced Garlic
- 2 lbs Lean Ground Turkey
- 1.5 can Low Sodium Diced Tomatoes, with their liquid
- 1.5 can Organic Pumpkin Puree
- 1.5 can Reduced Sodium Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Chipotle Pepper

Instructions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions, peppers, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and chipotle pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add kidney beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

I added a tablespoon of light sour cream (20 cal) and some leftover diced green peppers when serving.  It would also be yummy with some low fat shredded mozzarella but I didn't have any!

I made this for two guys and they both gave me their stamp of approval.  Boom! ;)

Makes approximately 10 servings.

DID I MENTION IT'S UNDER 250 CALORIES PER SERVING?!

Nutrition:
246.6 calories, 10.1g fat, 64mg cholesterol, 174mg sodium, 373.5mg potassium, 21.4g carbs (8.4g fiber, 6.4g sugar) 22.8g protein

Vitamin A - 122.6%
Vitamin C - 17.5 %
Calcium - 9.2%
Iron - 22.2 %

Enjoy!