Fall Football Food!

Things are finally cooling off around here...temps dropped 20 degrees yesterday, and we're enjoying some low 70's!  I love this time of year...we get to open the house up, kids play outside without complaining about how hot it is...and best of all, I break out all of my casserole recipes.  You know the ones...that just remind you of Fall and that lovely cooler weather!

Here is one of our favorites - I don't really have a name for it.  Should we call it 'Mexican Cornbread Casserole'? or 'Southwest Cornbread Casserole'?...call it what you want.  I call it hmm, hmmm, good!

This isn't an aesthetically pleasing dish, but I assure you...it is some yummy, if a bit spicy, comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 pkg - Ground Turkey - all white meat
1 red bell pepper - chopped
1 green bell pepper - chopped
1 small yellow onion - chopped
2 - chipolte peppers (chopped) + 2 Tbls Adobe sauce
1-2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbls oil of choice - for sauteing
1-2 Tbls cumin
15 oz can - diced tomatoes w/ green chilis
15 oz can - light red kidney beans (drained)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese
1 box/pkg corn bread mix

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to temp specified on your corn bread mix directions.
2. Saute' garlic, onion, bell peppers, chipolte peppers in oil, until soft. Set aside.
3. Brown the ground turkey until no longer pink.  If you have any liquid, drain it off.
4. Add saute items to the ground turkey, along w/ the adobe sauce, cumin, and diced tomatoes.  Stir and cook over med heat for 3-4 mins.
5. While that is cooking - chop the kidney beans & cilantro ( I used a food processor).
6. Remove saute from heat, and fold in the chopped kidney beans, cilantro and cheese.
7. Pour the mixture into a well greased casserole dish (large).
8. Prepare corn bread mixture per the package instructions and then pour over the top of the turkey mixture (in casserole dish).
9. Bake per the corn bread package instructions, until the corn bread is golden brown.

A couple of things, that I'd like to point out....

• I've tried this recipe with ground beef (97% lean) and it wasn't as good.  I don't know why, but it was just greasier.  And not in an Mmm, greasy! way....but in a Eww, greasy! way
• I've tried this recipe without chopping up the kidney beans...and I didn't like it as much.  The taste was the same, but the consistency was off.  I don't know...I guess I am just weird like that. 

AND, if you aren't counting calories....it's even better if you eat it scooped on tortilla chips!  Wowza!!

I know that I should give credit where credit is due...but I honestly can't remember where I adapted this recipe from.  I know it isn't the original, because I almost never follow recipes to the T.  And I've been making this for so many years now, I can't remember where I initially saw it. My apologies and my Thank You(s) to the true originator.