Turkey Chili

As I was roaming the grocery store I was spontaneously inspired to make a chili. I suppose it's that time of year right? If you are a cilantro fan-you'll like this one.

I stopped cooking with ground beef about a year and a half ago. I went to turkey for about a month, bought some ground beef after and was absolutely disgusted when it seemed like I was deep frying my meat in it's own oil. Ground turkey is a tad more expensive but worth it in my opinion. If you really are impartial to ground beef then there's nothing stopping you from using that instead of turkey. Entirely up to you-I just prefer turkey.

Ingredients I used were:

1 pack ground turkey
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 can of beans, rinsed and drained (I used a bean medley of kidney, garbanzo, and something else that I can't remember)
1 1/4 cups chopped  fresh cilantro (not the stems though)
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. chili powder (maybe 3 tbsp if you like your chili strong)
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne powder (more if you should be so daring)
1 large handful of spinach if you have it (for extra calcium!)

Brown your turkey in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion, garlic and salt. Cook until onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, beans, chili powder, garlic salt, cayenne, and cumin-cook for another 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach (if applicable) and cook on a low to medium heat for another 10 minutes while stirring frequently.

I should also mention that I have made this before with diced butternut squash. Very yummy and a perfect fall dinner idea. Just expand your cooking time to make sure that the squash is cooked all the way through. ALSO-if you like to spice things up you can add some diced jalapeno. Pairs very nicely with the cilantro! And a dish with cilantro and jalapeno will always pair nicely with a lime margarita on the side.

This should serve 4, but for me it makes dinner, lunch the next day and 3 freezer meals.

As always, chili is best served with some grated cheddar on top. Delish!