Dining on a Dime: Sweet & Spicy Turkey Chili

So with temps here at 100+ for more than a week now, chili obviously wouldn't be anyone's number one choice, but considering that this is a meal I usually have the ingredients on hand for.

You will need:

• 1 to 1.5 pounds of ground turkey (You can use beef if you prefer. I try to use extra lean turkey to keep the calories down.)
• 1 can of corn, drained (Optional)
• 1 30oz can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce
• Chili powder, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar to tase

Step 1: Brown and drain your turkey.

Step 2: Add corn, beans and tomato sauce. I usually use a little water (about 1/3 of the can) to rinse out the tomato sauce cans and add a little extra liquid to the chili.

Step 3: Add your chili powder and red pepper flakes. Stir. I don't use any certain amount, just taste it and put in what tastes good. I like a little heat with my chili, so I add quite a few red pepper flakes.

Step 4: Add your brown sugar. Stir. Again, I have not particular amount that I use. I like it fairly sweet (hence the title of the recipe.) Just eyeball it and stop adding when it tastes good to you.

 

Step 5: Let simmer until hot. Serve with cheese, sour cream, cornbread, whatever you like.

As a bonus, if you want to make the best cornbread I've ever had, its super easy. Simply follow the directions on one box of Jiffy corn muffin mix and one Jiffy cake mix, combine and bake. So yummy. This time around I was out of the eggs called for, so I substituted applesauce. It wasn't bad, but definitely had a little bit of applesauce taste to it and it was SUPER crumbly. It works, but stick with the eggs.