Zucchini Turkey Chili

Well, it's summertime which means my parents' garden is overflowing with zucchini and I'm left to figure out what to do with the many I receive every time I stop by their house. Even though it was particularly hot this one day, I was craving chili, so I decided to throw some zucchini in the mix. I didn't really use a recipe, but below is pretty much the gist of what I did. Enjoy!

2-4 tbsp. olive oil, some for veggies and some for turkey
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium to large zucchini cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of bean of your choice, kidney beans were used here
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2-3 tbsp. chili powder*
2-3 tbsp. cumin*
salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco or RedHot to taste

*I really didn't measure these at all, so you might want to do these to taste

Heat ~2 tbsp. olive oil in a pan and saute the zucchini and onion until soft. In the meantime, heat another 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place the turkey in the pot and cook thoroughly. Once the zucchini and onion are soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add this veggie mix to the turkey along with the beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. I served it with a little shredded cheese, sour cream and some tortilla chips.

Another thing to add since it's summer is some fresh corn on the cob. Just slice it off the cob and add it to the pot. It will cook in the 30 minute simmer time.