chilli

We've had some fairly cool weather the past couple weeks and on this particular day it was in the 50's with a steady sprinkle all day long. Now this put me in the mood for a pot of turkey chili. I have found that for me the best way to turn out some really good chili is to cook it low and slow giving it plenty of time for those flavors to mingle and come together. I cooked this on the stove top in my Dutch Oven which was a lot of fun, in fact I plan on repeating this recipe on the charcoal grill so can get a little smoke flavor incorporated in it.

Ingredients
2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, diced
2 cans (15 ounces) diced tomato
1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 packet of McCormick's Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning

Place the Dutch Oven on the stove over medium heat, place the ground turkey in the Dutch oven stirring occasionally to crumble, heat till cooked through. Add onion, diced tomato, kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato paste, and Chili Seasoning then thoroughly mix. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pot for 4-6 hours stirring as little as possible.

7-Layer Meatless Tortilla Pie

Here's a delicious meat free dish with a wonderful Tex-Mex flavor! Now, for me to say any dish that doesn't include meat, in some form, is really saying something.  This dish was filling enough that you could serve it on it's own, but would be great served with a small salad or some Spanish rice.  I do want to warn you that this is not a quick fix meal as it needs to bake for 40 minutes and will take at least 20 minutes of prep time, so just keep that in mind.

Ingredients
2 cans (about 15 oz each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup pace Picante Sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small tomato
7 flour tortillas (8 inch)
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)

Directions
Mash the pinto beans in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in 3/4 cup picante sauce and the garlic powder. (You could easily substitute pinto beans with re-fried beans for more flavor)

Stir the remaining picante sauce, cilantro, black beans and tomato in a medium bowl.

Place 1 tortilla onto a baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over the tortilla to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with 1 tortilla and 2.3 cup black bean mixture. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat the layers twice more. Top with the remaining tortilla and spread with the remaining pinto bean mixture. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until the filling is hot. Uncover the pie. Top with the remaining cheese. Cut the pie into 6 wedges. Serve with additional picante sauce and sprinkle with additional cilantro, if desired.

Healthy Game Day Chili Dogs

This is a recipe I like to call my own; and it stay's on the healthy side with ground turkey, fat free beans, turkey dogs, and wheat hot dog buns. Now when I make chili I usually just walk through the grocery store aisles and grab what ever sounds good in my chili, that's how my Grandma taught me to make it anyway. It has plenty of meat and beans so it'll be sure to feel you up and would go great with some cold beer.

Chili
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1 can of diced tomato
1 can of tomato sauce or paste if you like your chili on the thick side
1 pound of ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion
3 tbsp of chili powder or more to flavor
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of paprika

1. Brown the ground turkey in a skillet and pour off any grease.
2. Dump the pinto beans, dark red kidney beans, diced tomato, tomato sauce, cooked ground turkey, and seasonings into the crock pot and set on high.
3. Dice the onion and throw it in the pot.
4. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally and add water as needed.
5. Cook the hot dogs any way you like. I boiled mine in some water for about 5 minutes or you could easily grill them on the gas grill.