Cold Weather = Chili

The weather decided to change its mind on us again today but this time it decided that it wanted to monsoon and get super cold.  I'm all about the fall weather but when you go from like 80 to 50 the next day I'm not so much of a fan.  But since it was cold outside today it was the perfect weather for what I've been wanting to make all week...turkey chili!  I was actually happy to see it was colder because chili is the best on a cold night.  So since the weather permitted I made my turkey chili tonight.  I didn't really have a recipe to go off because I was inspired by the turkey chili that my mom makes because it is seriously one of my favorite meals that she cooks.  I asked her what she put in it and altered it a little bit to my liking because my parents have a little bit different taste pallet than I do.  

I had already cooked the ground turkey a week ago and froze it.  At the time, I wasn't sure what I was going to be using it for so I wanted to season it to where I could use it for multiple things.  Originally I thought I could use it for ziti or for chili.  I had stumbled across another really good recipe for ground chicken in lettuce wraps so I figured I could use the same seasonings for ground turkey.  Here is the recipe for the chicken lettuce cups that I based my seasonings off of.  This is the actual recipe that I used however...

1/3 package ground turkey 

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic

1/3 tsp parsley flakes

1/4 tsp oregano

I added the ground turkey and spices in a bowl and mixed then together.  I then put the turkey in a pan on the stove over medium high heat.  I cooked it for about 10-15 minutes just to make sure that it was thoroughly cooked.  Here's the end result...doesn't look to appetizing but it was great in my chili!

Ok now back to the chili.  Like I said, I didn't really have a recipe to follow because I just went off what my mom has made so here is what I ended up using in my turkey chili...

1 cup canned corn drained

1 cup black beans, drained

1 cup frozen pepper blend

1/3 pack ground turkey, previously cooked

1 15 oz can white kidney beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes no salt added

2 green onions, chopped

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cilantro

1 ½ tsp garlic

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

First thing I did was thaw the frozen pepper blend in a microwave safe dish in the microwave for 1 minute.  After thawing them, I added them to a pan over medium high heat on the stove and began to cook them.  While the peppers were cooking, I added the corn, black beans, white beans, diced tomatoes, and frozen ground turkey to a pot.  I turned the burner to medium high heat and stirred them altogether so that their flavors could begin to mix together.  

Pot pre-mixing

There didn't look like there was enough liquid in the pan so I added the tomato sauce to help it have more liquid.  The peppers finished cooking after about 5-7 minutes so I just added them straight to the pot when they were done.  I chopped up the green onions and added those to the pot as well.  I then began to add the spices which was quite interesting and scary for me.  I'm not really a spicy person so I wasn't sure how much of each spice would be too much.  I figured to start slow and I could always add more after if I needed it.  I added more garlic than the rest of the spices because I love garlic and I felt like it needed it.  I brought the chili to a boil and then turned it down to low and covered it.  I let it simmer for about 20 minutes so that all the different flavors could mesh together.  I did to taste testing here and there and added a little more pepper and garlic but it's really up to you as to how much and which spices you use.  My spice ratio actually turned out perfectly for me so I was happy!  I cooked some fresh spinach for a little side dish and then finally filled my bowl with my chili and I was ready to eat.  It was SO good and perfect for today.  

Post-mixing

I was happy with the way it tasted because it wasn't too spicy but it did have a little kick.  I may try to add some different spices next time and maybe add more peppers or use ground chicken but overall for my first try I was definitely pleased.  So if its a cold night and you want something yummy and easy to warm you up, chili is definitely the way to go!

Final product...YUM