After spending the Easter weekend with a cup of tea, movies and cold medicine, I decided it was time to cook something up that would help with my recovery. Spring is in the air in Vancouver and as the weather flips back and forth between beautiful sunshine and torrential windstorms, turkey chili seemed like the perfect dinner.
I'm a fan of food that can be mixed, changed and improvised. Like pizza and risotto, chili is one of those meals that can be mixed and changed depending on the season. The weather is warm enough that beef seems too heavy so I decided to try it with ground turkey instead.
Tasty, spicy and the perfect meal for the end of a long weekend spent recovering from a cold. I'm already thinking of changes for next time. Until then...enjoy
Turkey Chili
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cups of water
2 cups of tomatoes (or 1 can crushed tomatoes if there is nothing is in season)
1 can red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1 can corn - drained
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder (less if you are looking for less of a kick)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place the turkey in the pot and cook until evenly brown. Stir in the onion and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, corn and garlic. Season with chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes (minimum).
Homemade cornbread muffins are fantastic (and I will post a recipe here sometime) but in a post-cold haze, Bob's Red Mills cornbread mix is perfect. All you need is milk (or soy or almond milk), butter or vegetable oil and 2 eggs. Bob's Red Mills makes two cornbread mixes so make sure you grab the gluten-free package!
Choose to make the bread or muffin version and in 20 minutes, you'll have the best side to your homemade chili.
The perfect way to end a weekend and great leftovers for the whole week.
