If you like chili with vegetables and a little spiciness, you might like this. One of the nice things about chili, soups and stews is that the recipes can be easily adjusted. Perfect if you want to use what's available. More or no meat, fewer beans and other vegetables can be used. Light red kidney beans, black beans or a mix would probably taste as good as the dark red kidney beans.

I used a container of the *sun gold *tomatoes I grew in my garden. I had cooked them with garlic, green peppers and a little basil, then froze them, so they had a lot of liquid. I drained this to add later if needed.

If you want to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, skip step 1 then saute the onion and garlic together briefly (just to soften the onion) with a little of the creole seasoning (1/2 tsp) in water or oil. Then go to step 2, adding bite-size pieces of the leftover turkey.

Ingredients:
Tony Cachere's Creole Seasoning (other brands may work, too)
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans
1 1/2 cups frozen (or fresh) corn (off the cob, of course)
1 can (15 ounces) sliced okra
1 can (2.5 ounces) tomato paste
5 cups of sungold tomatoes cooked (see * above)

(1) Cook the ground turkey in a skillet or slow cooker. Sprinkle the creole seasoning on it, then break it apart. (I use a good tablespoon of the seasoning.) Drain any fat. Add the onion and garlic, then sautee a little longer to soften the onion. You may want to add just a little water to do so.

(2) Add all of the other ingredients to the onions and garlic, draining liquid off the canned items before adding. (I rinse the canned beans multiple times.) Don't drain all of the fluid from the crushed tomatoes; save this in case you need it in step 4.

(3) Simmer the mixture for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes; if using a slow cooker, adjust time accordingly. If the chili is not spicy enough for your taste, add more of the Creole seasoning until satisfied.

(4) If the tomato "broth" is too thick, add some of the reserved liquid from the canned tomatoes. Heat a little longer then serve. A salad and pieces of pepper jack or other cheese would be good accompaniments.