Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Tangy Turkey and Black Bean Chili

The Junior saga continues…


Wes and I rescued our little gem six months ago now and I can’t even fathom my life without her. It’s hard to look at her now with all the purring and snuggling and friskiness and remember the wide-eyed, hissing terror that she once was.

The past few months with her have been nothing but smooth sailing. Sure, she rips apart the carpet on the stairs like its her own personal scratching post, but it’s a small price to pay for my fluffy bundle of joy.

Last Sunday, after a few days of intense cooking and partying with friends and family, Wes and I opted for take out Thai and our couch for dinner.

When Wes returned with two bags full of food from our local favorite and left the gate and door open because he had his hands full.

And yes I’m purposely not telling you the name of the Thai place. It is as busy as a whole in the wall can be and I’m not trying to increase my wait time.

We have encouraged Junior to explore by taking her outside with us or just leaving our door open to the patio so she can check out the garden. But she took us both by surprise when she sauntered out the front door, out the open gate and out into the wild.

Slowly, Wes wandered after her trying to coax her back in the house since it was late and there are much bigger wild creatures in our area. But that little squirt did as she normally does when playing with Wes and ran she ran out of reach.

After a few hours of calling for her, we decided to call it a night but left the gate and the front door cracked for her when she was ready to come home.

At 4:30 in the morning we were elated when we heard her out on the patio munching on her food. Wes, excited his little buddy was home ran to the screen door to see her only to discover this in her place…


Oh yes. That is a baby possum that wriggled it’s way through our lattice barrier while Junior was out on her adventure.

Don’t worry, no opossums were harmed before, during or after the filming of this video. And yes, that is Wes hissing at the opossum like he is a giant cat. We should all let it slide since it was 4:30 in the morning.

After the traumatic incident with our unwanted visitor, Junior sauntered her way back home and all is right with the world again. Although we have no purchased chicken wire to cover the lattice so we don’t have any more rodent visitors.

While this was a major event in our little home, I do not want it to overshadow the awesomeness of this chili.

I’m always testing out recipes that will be on my future restaurant and this is for sure making the cut.

We had to fight mom for the leftovers. Of course she won.

You will need…

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ lb dark meat ground turkey


½ lb white meat ground turkey (you can always just do 1lb of either kinds of ground turkey if only one is available or you prefer one to the other)
3 garlic cloves, minced


1 medium onion, diced


1 medium bell pepper, diced


2 tablespoons ancho chili powder


1 tablespoon New Mexico chile powder


1 teaspoon cumin


2 tablespoons pineapple juice
14 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes


15 ounce can of tomato sauce


15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed


Corn tortillas for serving and dipping
Shredded cheese of your choice for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the oil in a large, heavy pot. When the oil is hott, add in the turkey and season well with salt and pepper. Stir, breaking the meat up into smaller pieces until the turkey is white throughout. About 4 minutes.


Stir in the garlic, onion, chili powders and cumin and cook until the onions start to soften. About 5 minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, pineapple juice and 1 can full of water and stir well. Season well with salt and pepper.

Bring the chili to a boil then lower it to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally until the chili has thickened. About 45 minutes.


Add in the beans and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes more.


Once the beans are in, warm your tortillas on the grill, stove or in the oven.



Serve chili hot topped with your favorite cheese or any of your favorite chili fixings with a side of warm tortillas for dipping.


Love and Beer Floats
Angela 

Tangy Turkey and Black Bean Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ lb dark meat ground turkey
½ lb white meat ground turkey (you can always just do 1lb of either kinds of ground turkey if only one is available or you prefer one to the other)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon New Mexico chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
14 ounce can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
Corn tortillas for serving and dipping
Shredded cheese of your choice for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the oil in a large, heavy pot. When the oil is hott, add in the turkey and season well with salt and pepper. Stir, breaking the meat up into smaller pieces until the turkey is white throughout. About 4 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, onion, chili powders and cumin and cook until the onions start to soften. About 5 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, pineapple juice and 1 can full of water and stir well. Season well with salt and pepper.
Bring the chili to a boil then lower it to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally until the chili has thickened. About 45 minutes.
Add in the beans and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes more.
Once the beans are in, warm your tortillas on the grill, stove or in the oven.
Serve chili hot topped with your favorite cheese or any of your favorite chili fixings with a side of warm tortillas for dipping. 

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