Brrr it's chili...

It's 8:30 am and I'm sitting in my living room. The new Christmas tree is glowing with white lights. The ornaments have an arts and crafts, almost childlike appeal. My favorites are the many nutcrackers that all have different professions. One's a pilot, one's a fisherman, one's a wizard (which would be a really cool job!)...well you get the idea. The rain is coming down quite hard. The wind causes the leaves on the orange tree to rustle about. I think a soul-warming one-pot meal is in order for today. I'll make my turkey chili. It makes a large amount. You can always freeze half for another meal. I serve it over spaghetti noodles for my kids and if there are leftovers, chili cheese dogs are pretty awesome!

Turkey Chili With White Beans

2 tbsp of olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 tbsp of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 lbs of ground turkey
2 cans (15 oz) of white kidney or cannellini beans
1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) of pureed tomatoes
Spices:
Salt
1/4 cup of chili powder
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of dried oregano
2 tsp of ground coriander

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper, chili powder, cayenne, red pepper flakes, cumin and oregano. Saute until vegetables are soft and starting to turn brown. About ten minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the turkey. Keep everything moving, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon and cook until almost done. About 3 minutes. Now add the beans, diced tomatoes, pureed tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. When the mixture begins to boil, turn down the heat and simmer covered for an hour. Stir occasionally. Then remove the cover and simmer for another hour. Stirring occasionally. Add more salt in the end if needed.


Serve hot in bowls with sides of condiments. Sour cream, shredded cheddar, chopped red or green onion, extra hot sauce. Oh and don't forget the corn bread. I'm making corn bread muffins.