I've talked about the SPU Community Kitchen quite a few times on my blog. That's because A) I was involved with the organization for a year, and B) I got a WHOLE bunch of delicious recipes from it. We had a pretty extensive process choosing recipes. They had to be healthy and wholesome, inexpensive, and most importantly, easy to make. The volunteers (and I) searched for recipes, selected potential recipes and then tested the recipes, choosing the best ones. We then would scale them up for 25+ people and prepare them during our monthly kitchen nights. 

And the dishes we made during the kitchen were amazing! They were always a little different. Always had a twist to them. And that's what I liked the most. For example, we didn't just make simple cornbread, we made cornbread pudding (recipe here). One of our monthly kitchen theme's was chili cook off, and instead of traditional chili, we made all sorts of chilies, such as black bean espresso chili, cumin chili, and my favorite, pumpkin turkey chili. It was the definite favorite of most of the participants that night, especially mine. 

The pumpkin in this chili is what takes this dish to a whole other level. Though you can't really taste it, but the texture it gives the chili is superb. It becomes creamy and thick, and slightly sweet. It's also pretty cool knowing that there is pumpkin in the chili. It's high in vitamin A, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. It's also high in fiber. So along with the beans, the chili is a good source of dietary fiber! Pumpkin is also low in calories.

Using lean turkey instead of beef is another way to cut back on calories and fat. You can't even taste the difference because of all the spices. My husband even made a comment about it, saying that it tasted really good with turkey. Personally, I have never actually used beef in chili (so I don't really know how that tastes), because I am satisfied with the turkey. If you're a beef person, I encourage you to try replacing it with turkey. It can really make a difference in your health (a good one too!)

As you can see, pumpkin isn't only for desserts and lattes. It can easily be put into chilies and soups. Pumpkin also doesn't have to always be associated with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices. This chili recipe actually doesn't have any of that stuff, though if you're courageous you can definitely add some  ;) You are the boss of your cooking, after all. Now that it's fall and pumpkins are everywhere, go and try this recipe! You will not be disappointed! Click "read more" for more pictures as well as the awesome recipe! Enjoy! :)