Turkey Chilli

A spicy chili made with ground turkey, beans, and chili pepper sauce.  Using a tried and true recipe.

It's that time of year again.  Winter is the perfect time for chili.  Although, I love chili and will eat it anytime.  It's one of the few dishes I would happily eat every day.  I always make a big pot of it so I can eat leftovers for most of the week.  If there is any left it makes a great addition to Queso dip or Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce for a Chili Cheese dip.

#Winter is the perfect time for Turkey #Chili  [Tweet this]

Chili is also a great meal to serve a crowd.  It's simple, delicious, and you don't have to spend too much time in the kitchen.  Just a little work and then let the chili simmer on low heat (or in a slow cooker) for a while.  I believe it tastes even better the longer it sits.  Chili is a great meal or snack for any gameday or Superbowl party.

Have Turkey Chili for your #superbowlparty  [Tweet this]

I make chili so often I usually don't think to post about it but I was looking back at some older posts and noticed my Chili con Carne post from 2013 needed updating.  The pictures were old and not great and I've started using a better recipe.  So I updated my old post with my new basic chili recipe that works with just about any kind of meat. Since my husband and I are trying to eat less red meat, we try to keep ground turkey on hand.  So I used ground turkey in my chili recipe with great results.

#Groundturkey makes great #chili  [Tweet this]

Click here to go to the recipe.

Recipes mentioned in this post:

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

Chili con Carne     -

The Best Queso Dip  -

For more beany recipes check out:

Black Beans & Rice   -

Sausage & Bean Sweet & Sour

Spicy 3 Beans & Rice  -

Linked to:  2 cup, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wonderful, whimsy, Full Plate

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Chili con Carne

A chili made with any kind of meat, beans, and chili pepper sauce.

(Updated 1/24/16 new pictures, tweet-ables, new recipe, editing)

Cool rainy days are great for chili.  We had a little cold front here in Honolulu a few weeks back.  I'm sure everyone who is still experiencing real winter weather is probably going to roll their eyes, but it got down to 58 F at night here.  That is chilly when you are used to mid 70s all the time.  And it was cloudy and gray for a few days, so perfect chili weather.  I made chili again, but this time, I added meat.  (Update starts)Chili con Carne is just chili with meat.  You can use any kind of meat you prefer beef, chicken, turkey, pork, whatever you have.  Experiment and have fun.

#Chili con Carne is great #coldweatherfood  [Tweet this]

I love chili.  I could eat it all the time.  It's warm, hardy, and hearty.  I am always tweaking my chili recipe.  Adding a little of this and a little of that until I make the perfect chili.  The things that remain constant are plenty of beans and lots of chili peppers. The beans help stretch the meat, help you feel full with fewer calories, and add great fiber and nutrition.  Chili peppers are also known for many nutritional benefits and impart wonderful flavor and heat to the dish. I like to see how spicy I can handle it.  My husband can take a lot of heat so it will never be too hot for him and I can add more cheese to help cool it if needed. 

A warm, hardy, and #heartymeal | #ChiliconCarne  [Tweet this]

I don't like to make tomato based chili.  I think chili should be made with mostly chili peppers and spices.  One way I like to make chili is with a puree of roasted or dried chilies.  Using dried chilies (softened in hot water then pureed) is probably my favorite but I have a hard time finding them at my local grocery.  So instead of dried chilies I've started using enchilada sauce.  Some enchilada sauces use a tomato base too but I avoid those for ones made with just chilies like this one.

Drop the tomatoes make #Chili w/ #chilipeppers [Tweet this]

Chili con Carne

Cook time: 45-90 minutes

Servings:  6

Ingredients:

1 onion diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 pound ground meat (I used turkey in the pictures)
6 cups of beans (about 2 cups dry, cooked)
28oz can of red enchilada sauce
3 roasted jalapenos, pureed (optional)
1 packet chili seasoning (I used McCormick)
1 Tbsp garlic powder (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

For this recipe, I used my rice cooker/slow cooker but you can also use a large stock pot.

Pour the oil into the slow cooker and add the onions.  Turn the slow cooker to high and with the lid open cook the onions until they are soft, stirring occasionally (10-15 minutes...while waiting prepare all the other ingredients).

Meanwhile, cook the ground meat over medium heat (in a large frying pan) until browned.  Drain off grease (if any).

Add the meat, beans, enchilada sauce, jalapeno puree (if using--alternatively you can use diced fresh jalapenos just add them to cook with the onions), and seasoning.

Close the lid to the slow cooker and let cook for 30-60 minutes or until heated through.

Or turn the slow cooker to low and cook for longer. I like to start it early and let it cook for a few hours until my husband gets home.  It makes the house smell great.

Taste and adjust seasoning.  I cooked my beans from dry and didn't salt them while cooking so I added a few dashes of salt when I added the beans.

Serve warm with cheese, green onions, and/or sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy.

For more recipes like this check out:

Bean & Barley Stew

Lentil Soup

Spicy 3 Beans & Rice

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

 A meatless chili made with four kinds of beans, zucchini, and a mixed pepper puree.

Chili is one of those foods that I can eat for days and never get tired of it.  So, with me on my own, I decided to make a big pot of chili to eat for a week.  I didn't have any ground beef (or other meat) in the house and I didn't feel like going to the store to get any so I made this chili vegetarian.  It turned out great.  It is very healthy too, with four kinds of beans this chili has plenty of fiber, and it is low in calories yet very filling.  I like to experiment every time I make chili so I rarely make it the same way twice.  Here is what I did this time.

Ingredients:

Pepper Puree:

2 bell peppers (red or yellow)
3-4 jalapenos
1 pound mild green chillies
1 dried habanero, reconstituted
1 tsp cumin powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder

Cut the bell peppers into smaller pieces, split the jalapenos in half and remove the seeds (or leave them in if you want more heat), and cut the stems off the smaller green chillies (I do not know what kind of chillies these are, the skinny long green ones in the picture, but they are mild with a very good chilli flavor, there is no need to remove the seeds).  Rinse all the peppers, toss in olive oil and spread on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper then bake at 400F for about 15-20 minutes until they start to brown and become soft.  Meanwhile, soak the habanero (I also used 2 dried jalapenos I happened to have) in boiling hot water until it becomes soft (cut the top off and remove seeds by squeezing, or leave them in for more heat).  Place the peppers in a blender, add the spices and about 1/4 cup of the water the habanero was reconstituted in and puree.  You may need to add a bit more pepper water until you reach the desired consistency.  The puree should be smooth and thick, but not so thick you can't pour it out of the blender.  Makes about 2 cups puree.

2 very large zucchinis, diced
1 large onion, diced
(about 5-6 cups total)

Saute the zucchini and onions together over medium heat until they become soft and translucent.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

6 cups beans
1/4 cup ketchup
Worcestershire sauce

Place 6 cups of mixed beans into a large slow cooker.  I used a combination of garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pigeon peas, and black beans (they can be cooked from dry or from a can, whatever you have.  I cook my beans from dry and freeze them in 1 cup portions so I always have easy beans on hand, just thaw over night in the refrigerator and use as you would canned beans.  It is easy to control the salt this way.).  Add the zucchini and onion, then pour on the pepper puree and add 1/4 cup of ketchup and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Give it a taste at the end and add more salt and pepper if needed. Makes 6-8 servings. 

This recipe is very versatile you can use any kinds of beans and any kinds of peppers.  I've made the pepper puree with all reconstituted, dried peppers before, they were some kind of large Mexican chilli and it was very good.  You can use spicier chillies or milder chillies, the combinations are endless.  If you want meat, just add some cooked ground beef or chicken to the mix.  I served my chili topped with cheese with corn chips on the side, veggies on the side would be good too.  Be creative and enjoy.

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