Sunday, May 2, 2010

The white chili that wasn't

Chili is one of my standard fall-back recipes. It's the cold-weather-I-dont-want-to-go-to-the-store-but-want-something-hearty food and I love it. I love the variety of it - how one little dish can be changed by an ingredient or two and it's a totally new experience. It can be white or red, flaming-hot or pleasantly mild, made with chocolate, beer, beef, turkey, chicken, you name it! Regardless of the type, it's almost always good.


So, after spending a fun day out on the chilly waters of Lake Washington for Opening Day of boating season, I did an extensive search for "ground turkey" recipes I came across a recipe for turkey white chili. It was going to be limey, it was going to use some of the cilantro I'm growing, it was going to be white, it would have been great. Until halfway through I changed my mind, threw in a can of tomatoes and (as Emeril would say) BAM! Red chili.


The result of my indecision:
Mildy spicy, luscious, tangy, hearty, healthy turkey chili. YUM!


The recipe:
Servings: 4-5
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 60ish minutes

Ingredients
1 package ground turkey
1 medium scallion, chopped
1 16oz can white beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn
1 can stewed tomatoes with green chili
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
Optional: Juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions
1. In a large pot, sautee garlic and scallions until tender. Add ground turkey, 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp cumin. Cook thoroughly and drain (not always necessary with low fat turkey).
2. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally as the chili thickens. 
3. Serve once chili reaches desired thickness.

Serving suggestions: Cilantro, Mexican-blend cheese (as pictured), Avocado, Sour Cream

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