turkey chili

Don’t look at my previous post! Okay, I know that actually made you look at my previous post. And I know, it’s from August 2015… and it’s February 2017 (insert that monkey emoji that’s covering it’s eyes to convey feelings of shame).  Although I haven’t stopped cooking, my busy past year and a half has prevented me from blogging.

If you remember in this post, I shared that Mike and I got engaged in January of 2015. Well, planning our wedding while in school, getting married, and moving in with Mike has been an absolute whirlwind! But, a truly great whirlwind. We were so lucky to share our wedding day with family and friends out in beautiful Montauk. And now, we are all settled in to our first place together.

I feel so grateful to have everything we need to cook yummy meals in our apartment. Thank you to everyone who helped set us up so perfectly.  It’s been just about six months in our place and we’ve been able to sit down to a home-cooked dinner together each night as we wind down from our busy days. And we’ve been able to host our family and friends for holidays or just for fun!

Since we’ve moved in, Mike has been encouraging me to blog again.  However, I was complaining that I could no longer hijack my dad’s Nikon to take food pictures.  Well my wonderful husband solved that problem with a Nikon D3300 under our Christmas tree this year.  I definitely still have a lot to learn about photography and now that I have my own DSLR camera, I am looking forward to trying to improve my photos. And hopefully as I continue to blog without year(s)-long interruptions, you can track my progress!

Anyway, let’s get down to the recipe: turkey chili. Last week, the Northeast got hit pretty hard with snow and chili seemed like the perfect thing to enhance the coziness of a snow day. There is a great recipe by Geoffrey Zakarian for beef chili – it has beer and tons of meat and spice.  But, I like this recipe for a lighter, healthier version that makes me feel less guilty about piling on the toppings. I’ve taken my favorite aspects of several turkey chili recipes and have coined this one as my own. Enjoy!

Also, check out this awesome flat saute by Earlywood.  My mom got it for me for my birthday and this was my first time using it. I loved it! Super great for stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/4-tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I sometimes omit these because I prefer no beans, but Mike likes beans)
• 1/2-cup chopped scallions
• red hot sauce to taste
• green hot sauce to taste

My favorite toppings:

• shredded Mexican blend cheese
• chopped avocado
• chopped tomatoes
• pickled jalapenos
• scallions
• sour cream
• red & green hot sauces

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Once hot, add onions and garlic and sauté until tender (~5 minutes). Add turkey, breaking up with a fork and cook until browned (~8 minutes).  Add bell pepper, jalapeño, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook until peppers are tender and spice is incorporated (~5 more minutes).  Then, add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, kidney beans (if using), and scallions.

Cook on low heat for at least one hour with the cover on but ajar, stirring occasionally. I like to let it simmer for a good 4 hours if I have the time to let the flavors blend. Add red and green hot sauces to taste.

How I eat it: with every topping listed above and some good cornbread on the side

Note: This is a great recipe to take half the batch and freeze it for a quick and easy meal that tastes even better the second time around!