Vegetarian Chili

I know that this is going to sound like I stole the plot from National Lampoon's Vacation and that I cast my dad, Joe, in the role that Chevy Chase made famous. Mother must have been the Beverly D'Angelo character. But, since this happened when I was about 6 or 7, whoever wrote the screenplay for the movie must have taken part of the storyline out of the events of our family that winter.
So, here's the story. Grandma Ferguson had been ill with cancer for some time and my mother, being a registered nurse, cared for her in our home until the time of her death. Grandma had lost her only son, my Uncle Gaylen, when he was just 21 to bone cancer. Her only other child was my mother, Yvonne. The three of them had lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota and when my mother married my dad and they moved to Utah so that Dad could go to Utah State University, Bertine stayed in Aberdeen until she retired. Dad built her a small house in downtown Bountiful, where she lived until she became ill.
So, upon her death, mother decided that she should be taken back to Aberdeen and buried in the plot next to Gaylen. So, my dad borrowed a red station wagon from a friend, put grandma in the back (not on top, mind you) and he and mother proceeded to drive her back to Aberdeen. Now, don't attempt to do this now as I'm pretty sure you can't just put a casket, with a dead body in it, in the back of your car and drive it across country!
They stopped for the night in a small town in Wyoming, I think that dad said it was Laramie, and since it was really cold, a kind service station owner (yes, they were all service stations in those days) let them park the station wagon inside, presumably so that grandma wouldn't get cold!! The rest of the trip was uneventful, as far as I know.
So, why do I bring this whole thing up and how does it relate to a recipe you ask?? My parents had some really good friends, the McRae family. They just happened to have 4 kids like us, all around the same ages, just boy, girl, girl, boy instead of our boy, girl, boy, girl. We spent every Thanksgiving and Christmas with them and we vacationed with them every summer. So, Coral and Karl offered to take care of us kids while my parents carted grandma across country. We sat down to dinner one night and as I finished my meal I pronounced "good beans"! Now you should know at this point that there was not a bean to be seen and nobody really knows why I said it but it quickly became a family joke! It even carried down to my kids and to my grandkids. Most dinners when I visit them or they visit me, one of the kids or grandkids will announce "good beans" and it's usually followed by at least a little smirking! Funny how those things stick with you.
So, this is one my favorite dishes out of the kitchen at Fitness Ridge and it just happens to have beans in it.

Bon appetite and stay well until next time!

Vegetarian Chili
serves 8

1 14 ounce can black beans drained
1 14 ounce can kidney beans drained
1 14 ounce can navy beans drained
1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes drained
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/4 cup green chilies
1 yellow onion chopped
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 package chili seasoning
1/2 cup sliced green onions

In pot sweat garlic and onions together. Combine all ingredients except green onions. Simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with green onions.
245 calories