What's For Dinner

I love this time of year. As much as I love the summer, swimming, boating etc., there is nothing like fall in New England.  My meals that I make are different once the kids go back to school. Crockpot is out, more stews, soups, casseroles and I tend to bake more in the fall and winter months. 

I'm not a fan of ground turkey. It's kind of boring, but so much more healthier for you.  I don't use it a lot but when I do the recipes I have are keepers.  I've found a way though to make it more appealing and by doing that you usually have to chop a lot of vegetables and add lots of spices and seasonings especially for turkey burgers.

It's homemade Turkey Chili and that's What's for Dinner.  I make a pretty mean traditional Chili but I wanted to be a little more health conscious and what I found out is that this has just as much flavor and tastes a lot lighter and doesn't weigh you down like the traditional chili. Don't get me wrong, love the original, but to mix it up I decided to make Turkey Chili and it didn't disappoint. Similar in traditional but with a few twists to the dish.  I still serve it over pasta with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream on top.

Turkey Chili

1lb Ground Turkey (breast or regular)
1/2 lb of Turkey Tenderloins cut into pieces (you can use a whole poundof turkey tenderloins depending on the number of people you will be serving)
1 Large Yellow Onion diced
2 Cloves of garlic minced
1 Green or Red Pepper Diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper Minced
1 Pablano Pepper, roasted, skins removed and seeded and diced (can omit) but adds a ton of flavor. I roast mine over the open flame on my gas stove, charring all sides, then place in a bowl, cover with wrap and let it sweat for 15 mins, remove skins and seeds then chop-little labor intensive but worth it.
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Spices: I'm an eyeball cook, so I just add these in as I go along and go by the scent and taste.
Ground Cumin
Cayenne  (just a pinch as you have jalapeno's in there already)
Chili Powder
Ground Corriander
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Oregano (small amount dried)
1 to 2 Cups of Chicken Broth
1 Large Can Diced Tomatoes (don't drain)
1 Can of Black beans (drain and rinse)
1 Can Corn (drained) (can use frozen if no can corn)
Fresh Cilantro

Directions: In a large dutch oven (5 qt pot), sauté in olive oil, the ground turkey and turkey tenderloin pieces till no longer pink, remove and set aside. Add more olive oil, add onions and garlic, add the salt and pepper and let the onions sweat out, add green peppers, jalapeno's, and the pablano peppers, till soft. Once soft, add the turkey back to the pan, over the whole mixture add your spices and stir to coat all the meat and veggies. Then add the Can of Diced tomatoes, Chicken Broth, Black beans and corn, bring to a boil, then simmer for a few hours or even just 30 mins if your in a rush. Adjust your spices and salt and pepper.  It doesn't take long to make.  I add fresh cilantro on top before I serve it.  This chili is not like the traditional so it's not really thick, the longer you cook it, it will thicken a bit. 

I put my chili over pasta, adding a nice mound of cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Serve it with nice warm corn bread, tossed salad and your good to go. Makes for a nice fall hardy meal.

Hope you enjoy!