Spicy Turkey Chili

Since the weather has turned slightly colder the last few days, Jeremy and I have started craving warmer foods.   I decided to make chili tonight and it hit the spot.  I have lots of leftovers... the pot ended up making what will become 9 servings of chili.  We ate 2, I have 3 in the fridge, and I have 4 in the freezer for sometime in the future.

This was nice and spicy and also had great flavor besides the heat.  If you don't like spice, you can omit or reduce the cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flake, chipotles in adobo, or the serrano peppers.  It will still be very tasty.  Don't be intimidated by the long list of spices... most of them are pretty common and it's just a matter of having a measuring spoon next to the pot.

I usually make venison chili but since I'm out of venison we picked up some ground turkey at the grocery store.  It was really delicious and was a nice change from my normal chili.  I've also made vegetarian versions of chili just by adding more veggies and beans and leaving out the beef stock.  Still very tasty.

I always use similar combinations of spices but the amounts vary depending on what I feel like that particular night.  Chili is a great way to experiment with just throwing things at a pot (my specialty) since it's pretty hard to screw up.

I used dried beans for this and spent the early afternoon in and out of the kitchen as they simmered.  You could certainly substitute canned beans if you don't want to take the time cooking the beans.  I've been using more dried beans recently because they are so much cheaper and so much lower in sodium (since I don't salt them as they cook...).

I almost always make corn muffins to go along with chili - tonight was no exception.  I buy the cheap little boxes of corn muffin mix in the grocery store.  I've tried making my own cornbread but it's never as tasty.  And these are just too convenient.

Recipe:
2 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (93% lean)
1 c. dried red kidney beans
1 c. dried great northern beans
1 c. dried small red beans
3 medium green bell peppers, diced
3 medium onions, diced
3 serrano chiles, half the ribs removed, minced
1 1/2 tbs. minced garlic
3 tbs. chili powder
2 tbs. + 1 tsp. ground cumin, divided
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbs. paprika
1/2 tbs. garlic powder
1/2 tbs. onion powder
1/2 tbs. + 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
1 tbs. dried parsley
1 1/2 tbs. minced chipotles in adobo
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 1/4 c. beef broth
3 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight.  Cook the beans according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside until ready to go into the chili.  (This can be done way ahead of time and reserved in the fridge.)
2. Heat a  large pot (mine was an 8 qt.) over medium high heat.  Add 2 tbs. olive oil.  Add ground turkey and break up with a wooden spoon.  Add crushed red pepper flake, salt, pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and 1/2 tsp. oregano.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is browned.
3. Add garlic, green bell pepper, serrano chiles and onion.  Stir to combine and stir occasionally until veggies begin to get tender (about 5 minutes).
4. Add remaining ingredients, except the beans, and stir to combine.  Cover and reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer.  Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add cooked beans.  Stir to combine.  Continue to simmer with the lid on for 45-60 minutes until flavors combine.  Enjoy! :)