Homemade Turkey Chili

Hi loves!!

Last night I made this delicious chili to help get my husband and I through the week on our grocery budget. All in all, this recipe cost about $10 for the ingredients and makes about 10 servings. That's pretty good considering most lunches cost upwards of $5-10 bucks a pop!! That's not including your morning Starbucks run...!

Since our wedding, Matt and I have actively been trying to get back on the financial band wagon- a feat not so easily achieved. We've found that (obvious to most people already...) when we stopped eating out we lost weight and saved money - together.

When I go grocery shopping, I sort my list by order of where the items can be found in the store (hence the recipe in this order):

Meat:
2 Lbs ground turkey*, or meat of your choice

Canned:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 15 oz cans mixed beans
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can plain diced tomatoes
1 12 oz can gluten free or regular beer

Produce:
2 jalapeño peppers*, seeded and chopped
1 habanero pepper*, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
2-3 cloves or teaspoons garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Spices:*
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

The way I prepare this recipe gives it the most flavor. I have tried it the way the original recipe calls for, and it isn't as tasty. I've noticed that when I don't flavor the meat while its cooking, it comes out tasting very bland. Who wants to bite into a delicious chili only to find bland chunks of turkey??

In a large stovetop pan, heat olive oil on medium. While olive oil heats (but make sure it's not so hot that it smokes), chop all your veggies. Once the onion and peppers are chopped, add them to the pan and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until onions are translucent and peppers have softened a bit. Do not add the garlic yet, as garlic burns and becomes bitter very quickly when applied to heat.

Now, leaving the large pan burner on medium high, transfer your sautéed veggies to a large pot. (Don't turn on the heat for the large pot just yet.) Add ONE pound of the turkey back into the sauté pan and start browning your meat. Once the turkey starts to sizzle (should be right away), start adding your seasoning. You can also add garlic at this point to help further season your turkey.

The reason I don't include seasoning amounts for this recipe is because unlike baking, cooking and flavoring are really up to the chef. Whoever is doing the cooking gets to decide how it tastes! I use a liberal amount of chili powder, cumin, onion, and garlic powders. Once you've added the spices, keep cooking and breaking apart the turkey to ensure it is coated and dredged in the spices. Remember to hold back on salt - add a small amount to start, but remember that you can't remove salt once it's added - you can always add more if there isn't enough.

Once the first pound of turkey is done, move the contents to the large pot along with the veggies. Brown the second pound of turkey in the large sauté pan using spices again (trust me, it requires a lot of seasoning). Just make sure your spices do not have salt added to them, or your chili will come out far too salty.

Once the second pound of turkey is done, move the turkey to the large pan and add all of your canned ingredients - including the bottle of beer! The alcohol in the chili cooks off, so this is still safe for children to eat. Be weary of the habanero pepper if your children or family members are sensitive to spice. You'll find though that as long as the seeds are removed from your chilies, the heat will be removed with them. Spiciness comes from the seeds inside chilies!

The last part is easy. Add everything to the large pot and bring to a slight boil, being careful not to burn the contents in the bottom of the pot. Once boiling, turn it down to a bubbling simmer - usually somewhere between low and medium.

This whole process took about $10 worth of ingredients, about 30 minutes of prep time, and about 5 or 6 dishes being dirty. Chili is such a delicious alternative to soup on cold, blustery winter days. Using turkey instead of beef, the recipe is also far healthier than canned alternatives which are packed with sodium, saturated fats and preservatives.

If you can tolerate dairy, add some sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions to the top of your chili and serve with tortilla chips. If you are vegan, try using veggie crumbles in place of turkey and replace toppings with vegan alternatives, such as Tofutti Sour Cream or Soy Cheese.

I personally love this chili plain and it's flavor develops even more over the next few days. Keep leftovers and take to lunch for the whole week! Leftovers should be good for 3-5 days as long as they are kept in an airtight container.

Enjoy!! If you try it be sure to share what you thought of the recipe!
Becky