Hoping for Chilly Weather and Chili

It is the first of October and we are still experiencing warm daytime temperatures. I am hoping for the chilly fall weather to appear any day now! Just arriving home from a long road trip (and a bit behind), I am dusting off this older post. So for those of you who have been with me from the beginning, some of this will look familiar. For those who are new, this is a fabulous fall and winter recipe.

This recipe even won an award at a chili competition. So if you like a hearty meal with healthy ingredients, this is the one for you. And if you have a fabulous soup tureen, like the one above, put it to good use. Soup tureen and platter is available in my store here.

Individual pumpkin bowls. See similar ***here***.

My favorite go-to chili recipe is Turkey Chili with White Beans. It’s not hot and spicy, though you could certainly add heat to it. This recipe is richly textured with flavors and is simple to make. I don’t recall where I found the original recipe but I’ve been making it for years. When my son rowed crew in high school, I would warm up several batches of this on a camp stove and serve it to the athletes during the freezing cold regattas. Rich, delicious and hits the spot.

The Ingredients

Unsweetened cocoa and cinnamon, add to the depth of flavors. For the beans, I look for cannellini beans. An excellent source of iron, magnesium and folate, a single serving of cannellini beans provides more than 20 percent of the recommended daily values of these nutrients. They are also a good source of protein, providing more than 15 grams per serving. Other nutritional benefits include their low fat content and calorie count. Each serving contains only 225 calories and less than one gram of fat.

The preparation

All you need is a large pot and the ingredients below. Sauté the onions, add the spices.

Break up the turkey as it cooks with the back of your spoon.

Mix in the stock and tomato sauce and simmer for 45 minutes.

Serve it up in something pretty

Since this recipe makes 8 servings, it easily fills up the soup tureen. Served with a salad and a nice glass of wine, this makes a filling meal.

I garnish the chili with fresh cilantro, chopped red onions and a dab of light sour cream, but shredded cheese and avocado would be delicious too.

chilicloseup2 — Garnish with fresh cilantro, red onions, sour cream

Individual pumpkin bowls are a fun size. I believe I may have purchased them from Williams Sonoma, but Amazon has a good selection here .

This recipe is terrific the day you make it. But it can be easily frozen into individual servings and reheated later. Truly, it gets better with age. I promise you will LOVE this!

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Turkey Chili with White Beans

This healthy, hearty chili is perfect for chilly fall days.

1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 medium onions (chopped)
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
3 15 oz. cans small white beans (rinsed and drained)

Garnishes

chopped red onion
chopped fresh cilantro
Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, sauté until ight brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey, stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon.
Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Total fat 11 g; saturated fat 2 g; cholesterol 68 mg

Turkey Chili with White Beans

This healthy, hearty chili is perfect for chilly fall days.

1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 medium onions (chopped)
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
3 15 oz. cans small white beans (rinsed and drained)

Garnishes

chopped red onion
chopped fresh cilantro
Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, sauté until ight brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey, stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon.
Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Total fat 11 g; saturated fat 2 g; cholesterol 68 mg

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