Thursday, May 13, 2010

Turkey Chili...

Chili is one of those things that you can play around with. Once you've found a recipe that you love, you can switch up the type of meat and beans you use.

Take the recipe below. If you prefer beef to turkey, then just substitute it. Ground chicken could be a tasty alternative too. The beans are completely interchangeable as well.
Red kidney, white kidney, garbanzo, black, pinto. Use whatever you like or happen to have in your cupboards.

Tonight I am divulging my two secret and somewhat strange chili ingredients.
Cinnamon and chocolate/cocoa powder!
Turkey Chili

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 1/4 lbs of ground turkey
1 cans (15 oz) of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (16 oz) of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
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
1/4 to 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want it
1 tbsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of dried oregano
2 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp sweet ground chocolate and cocoa powder

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 10 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. 3-5 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 didn't feel like making it from scratch tonight so I bought a ready-made loaf from Trader Joe's.

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