TURKEY CHILI

Chili is something that we have always enjoyed and my husband especially is a big fan of homemade chili.  My basic chili often has most the same ingredients listed below with a couple of exceptions no turkey, turkey sausage or corn. Most often I use eye of the round or another cut of beef that I cube, braise and then add to the chili sauce and sometimes I will also add small pieces of pork or some shredded pork shoulder.  And sometimes I will make a quick chili using ground beef or a combination of ground beef and pork.  My chili is meaty and hearty and has always been a hit with my family.  In an effort to get into better eating habits I decided to make chili with ground turkey and added some sweet and hot turkey sausage for a little kick.  My husband John suggested we add some corn and what resulted was a hearly and delicious chili.  My beloved loved the chili so and was surprisingly pleased at the heartyness of it.  What surprised him most is that he said he would not have known he was eating turkey if I did not tell him. So this is a chili  recipe that works for us.  I would not classify this as the healthiest of meals, but the subsitution of the ground turkey for the beef makes it great alternative to beef.  That it is so tasty and hearty is a great big bonus!  For more tips on how we make this great dish check out our Turkey Chili Video.  Like with all recipes, have fun with it, adopt the seasoning to your liking and make it your own!  Enjoy!

TURKEY CHILI

INGREDIENTS:

•  1 & 1/2 lbs Ground Turkey
• 3 Turkey Sausage - sweet, remove skin
• 3 Turkey Sausage - hot, remove skin
• 1 package frozen corn
• 3 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 banana pepper ( Italian pepper or cubanella), chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 Jalepenos, diced
• 1 Habenero, diced
• 1 15.5 oz can red kidney beans, washed and drained
• 1 29 oz can cannellini beans, washed and drained
• 1 28 oz can ground peeled kitchen ready tomatos
• 1 28 oz can petite diced tomatos
• 1/2 to 1 cup water as necessary
• 2 large or 3 small green peppers
• Seasoning mixture, adjust to your taste
  • 1 teaspoon each of old bay seasoing, cayenne pepper,  cummin, garlic powder, sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon each of onion power and paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil plus two tablespoons

Mix all of the items in the seasoning mixture together and set aside.

Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a saute pan and saute the ground turkey and turkey sausage until well mixed and fully cooked.  Drain the liquid and break down any large clumps of meat, set the turkey to the side. 

Add 1/2 cup olive oil to a stock pot or large saucepan.  Then add the red bell pepper, banana pepper, onion, garlic, jalepenos, habenaro and corn.  Saute until all is well mixed and the onions and peppers become tender.  Add diced tomatos and ground tomatoes.  Add the grount turkey and sausage mixture to the pot and mix well.  Depending on your taste add all or some of the seasoning mixture and some water, a half a cup to start.  Mix well  I like to drain and wash the beans to remove any of the liquid from the can, that is my personal preference.  I drain the beans and wash them and set them aside until I am ready to add them.  Once all the ingredients except for the beans are well mixed add the kidney and the cannellini beans.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Adjust with the seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.