Chili Con Carne

....the Con Carne part means with meat.....and in order to satisfy a slim waist line I have chosen to use ground turkey instead of ground beef.....I have been substituting in the turkey in a variety of recipes for quite some time now....I wish I could take the credit for the clever idea.....a fellow co-worker tuned me into the idea when mentioning that his wife does it all the time....ahhh, the great people @ Cygnus.....sad sad story, for another time perhaps....

....in order to appease the gods...or at least the gods of I have company coming the day after I return from my own vacation, I have decided to get ready now! This means chili cooking oh so early in the morn.....I have also recently found out that one of my guests is a vegetarian.....of course, I was made aware of this after suggesting such ideas as: roast chicken, BBQ pork, shrimp sushi, and turkey burgers....hmmm...wonder how much I have disgusted her already....

....many, many, moons ago I went through a "I'm eating less meat" phase....needless to say it was short-lived....thank heaves for ribs bringing me back to sanity....although I do have to admit that I have found some superb recipes sans meat.....one of my favs is a chili with cashews.....yet another amazing idea from yet another amazing Cygnusian.......


Chili Con Carne......
1 pkg ground turkey
1 onion
3 stalks celery
1 can corn
2 cans Bush's baked beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 cups H2O

Brown turkey in separate pan, season with: seasoned salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and chili powder. Set aside. In a big pot (one with 2 handles) saute onion, celery, and corn. Add in beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, H2O, and turkey. Add more seasoning and let simmer for 1 hour or so.


This entire recipe is made for about $12.00 and even though it is still simmering on the stove now, I know that it makes more than 12 serving....thus, we have another Donna Reed's Dollar Menu item.....of course I would suggest serving it anyway you like: over rice, with toast, corn bread, or some tortilla chips and sour cream....or whatever you fancy...the point is to enjoy something healthy and tasty for under $1.00!