Spicy Turkey Bean Chili

10 servings
Total cost: NY $18.79
Cost per serving: NY $1.88


Everyone needs a good turkey chili recipe in their repertoire, particularly during the dark days of January. This one has some zing to it; if you like it milder, knock it back down to 1 chipotle pepper. In furtherance of my continued quest to break free from the tyranny of commercial broths, this recipe calls for no broth whatsoever. This makes a lot, but like most chilis, it improves with age as the flavors meld and freezes well to boot.


Ingredients

• 2 tbsps olive oil (staple)
• 2 cloves garlic (NY $0.31 for one head)
• 1 large yellow onion (NY $1.26)
• 1 green pepper (NY $1.89)
• 1 red pepper (NY $2.15)
• 1 pound ground turkey (NY $5.99)
• 2 tbsps chili powder (staple)
• 1 tsp cumin (staple)
• ½ tsp oregano (staple)
• ½ tsp hot paprika (staple)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder (staple)
• 1 14.5 oz can kidney beans (NY $0.89)
• 1 14.5 oz can pinto beans (NY $0.89)
• 2 chipotles en adobo (NY $2.19 for one can*)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (NY $1.89)
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (staple)
• 1 bottle cerveza (NY $1.33)
• 1 bunch scallions (NY $0.99) (optional**)

Directions

Start this one about an hour before you plan to eat.

Mince the garlic, and chop the onion, green pepper and red pepper.


Warm 2 tbsps olive oil in a large pot, and saute the chopped vegetables about 5 minutes until softened. Add the ground turkey, spices and cocoa powder. Continue cooking, stirring to break up the meat, until the turkey is browned, about another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the chipotles. Once turkey is no longer pink, stir in the drained and rinsed beans, the chipotle, crushed tomatoes, vinegar and beer.


Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, approximately 30 minutes longer.


* When you have leftover chipotles, which you inevitably will b/c I’ve yet to see a recipe that calls for an ENTIRE can (and my lips burn just thinking about it!), freeze the excess.

** You can, of course, garnish this with any number of things, according to taste and the contents of your fridge. Diced tomatoes, sour cream, chopped red onions, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack, diced jalapenos for the truly bold, etc., etc. We happen to like scallions, and we didn’t want to leave all toppings out of the pricing for this recipe, because half the fun of chili is the make-your-sundae-style garnishing.


Nutritional Info
Amount Per Serving

Calories 220.7	Vitamin A 32.8 %	Iron 17.8 %
Total Fat 6.8 g	Vitamin B-12 0.0 %	Magnesium 11.9 %
Cholesterol 32.0 mg	Vitamin B-6 11.6 %	Manganese 23.7 %
Sodium 329.6 mg	Vitamin C 79.3 %	Niacin 3.9 %
Potassium 457.6 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 13.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 24.2 g	Vitamin E 3.1 %	Riboflavin 6.9 %
Fiber 8.3 g	Calcium 5.6 %	Selenium 5.1 %
Sugars 1.0 g	Copper 11.9 %	Thiamin 10.7 %
Protein 15.6 g	Folate 26.3 %	Zinc 5.9 %