"I can't believe it's turkey" Beer Chili

This weather is the worst. I hate rainy days. The only thing that brings me comfort on days like today (other than boxed wine) is something simmering on the stove. I'm not really one to bang my own gong. But, I have to say...I make a pretty rad turkey chili. (Or so I've been told) My recipe is a result of years of tweaking, adding, omitting and rigorous field testing. (yes, I test on animals...and my dog approves) What I've come up with is a pot of goodness that would rival the finest cow-based chili recipes out there. Purists, beware! There are beans in this....and a slew of other things that would make some chili aficionados cringe. But, you know what? It's good. Quite a few people have asked for my recipe in the last month, which is a bit challenging for me because I kinda add and taste as I go along, so I've never really used a recipe. Because of that, the measurements may not be 100%. And I rarely use the same beer. I find I like the flavor best with a brown ale. Dogfish Head Indian Brown is my favorite in this. It adds a nutty flavor that I enjoy. But, Sam Adams works great, too. Pretty much, use whatever you have on hand. Any beer is better than no beer at all. (Except Coors Light...please don't put Coors Light in this...) Have fun with this recipe. It's all about layering flavors, and turkey is not an exceptionally flavorful meat to begin with. So, definitely season every step of the way. If you find it needs more of something to make it to your liking, go for it! It's perfectly acceptable to customize this. You officially have my permission. (I know, you can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Whew.) This makes enough for a pretty big pot. I've fed 12 people with this recipe and had some left over. Alright, here we go:

"I can't believe it's turkey" Beer Chili


2 lbs. ground turkey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (or 2 medium), diced
5 cloves garlic (I've been known to throw a whole bulb in here), finely minced
2 green peppers, diced
2 cans crushed tomatos (the large cans)
2 cans diced tomatos with green chilis (14.5 oz cans)
1 can corn (when the corn is in season, I use fresh off the cob, 4 ears or so)
2 or 3 cans beans (depending on how much of a legume fan you are. Any combo is fine. my favorite combo is black beans and kidney, white is great too)
Good bit of fresh cilantro


Seasoning Mix- If it's not noted, I measure in half palm fulls, and then season to taste:
Chili Powder
Cumin
Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Sea Salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp crushed red pepper (half if you're not into the spice...(also, what's wrong with you!? man up!))
1.5 bottles of beer (on the wall...)

Heat a large pot over medium and get some olive oil down in there. About two swirls of the bottom of the pot. Add your ground turkey and a good bit of cumin, sea salt, and black pepper. Cook until the turkey is about half done (brownish, not pinkish). Add the diced onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes til the onions and pepper are tender and the turkey is cooked through. Add 1 bottle of beer. Cook down until the liquid reduces by about half...probably like 10 minutes. Now dump everything else in (crushed tomatos, diced tomatos with green chilis, corn, beans). Add the seasoning. (half palm full of chili powder, half palm full of cumin, half palm full of garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper). Stir. (You can take a shortcut here and use about 2.5 packets of your favorite Chili seasoning, like McCormick or Old El Paso, but I find that if you do that you still have to add more cumin, salt, and chili powder...Up to you!) Simmer everything for about 5 minutes and add the other half bottle of beer. Stir. Reduce heat to low, and let it go! 

Taste, and season as needed. This should cook together for about a half hour. After that, add a good bit of fresh cilantro. Stir together and remove from heat. 


Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, diced raw onion, fresh cilantro, Sriracha, or whatever other toppings you can dream up! Pro tip- Make this the night before you plan on devouring it. Let it cool, throw it in the fridge, and reheat on the stove when you want it. I find it's even better the second day when all of the ingredients get to hang out and know each other a little bit better. But, for the impatient among us,  it's pretty amazing right out of the gate too. 

This doesn't skimp on flavor at all, but isn't bad on calories either! So feel free have as much as you want. If you try it out let me know what you think in the comments below!

Falafel-icious

Dear, humble chick-pea! You never cease to amaze me! You don't have the smooth, jewel-toned complexion of your cousin, the kidney bean. You lack the mysterious intrigue of your brother, the black-eyed pea. And, you certainly don't prance around in formal attire all day long like your friend, the black bean. Your nutty, beige, lackluster demeanor may fool the un-trained eye into thinking you're boring. But, you...my friend are delicious. And, you seem to have won your way into my heart, and my subconscious, especially lately.

I have always enjoyed the smooth texture of a good hummus. Give me some chick-pea, olive oil, tahini, garlic, salt, lemon, paprika and a few pita and I'm a happy girl. The only other girl I know who loves hummus more than anyone I know, though, is my sweet sister -in-law, Beth. She eats it for breakfast. True story. She also enjoys a good falafel, which is a deep-fried patty of chick peas, spices, and a whole lotta love. My sister Lauren has made some for me several times, so this weekend Beth and I decided to make some of our own! We embarked on this adventure armed with just a few ingredients. Beth had a recipe she wanted to use, so I was on board! Some simple chick peas, onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, sea salt, paprika, coriander and just a little (palms FULL of) cumin.

We chopped, smashed, and processed everything and kept tasting for seasoning. Beth turned her back...I dumped more salt in there (cause that's how I roll). I turned my back...she dumped cumin in there (cause she's exotic like that). After all of the renegade seasoning I took one final taste and shouted "OH man! That's good!" in my loudest, most congratulatory manner. I have a hard time not thinking of her as 15 years old...I was so proud of her. This exclamation was genuine. (Picture this in the style of "good girl!" like you would say to your puppy...or two year old...Beth, however is 28.) She looked at me puzzled, as if to say "Wow!? That was serious!?" And, oh, the laughter that ensued. You have to know Beth in order to know what "laughter" means....I never knew what the word meant until I met her. Its' a mix between a hyena and all of the tropical birds in the world yelling at the same time. It's joy, personified. I wish I could bottle it. That mess would make millions. 

We mixed in an egg to bind  the mixture and "assembly lined" the rest of the falafel. She made the patties, floured them, and I lowered them gently into some 350 degree oil. We figured it was 350 degrees. We threw some water in there and it sizzled so we called it good. We're soul fryers. Who needs a thermometer? (In hindsight I can admit this could have been the reason why they were "slightly" underdone...but still...I like my falafel "al dente", so chew on that. Literally.) We fried, we drained, we repeated. And, in the end we really did have some yummy tasting patties of goodness. We served them up with a simple cucumber, yogurt, dill dipping sauce. I like to think the flavor was enjoyed by all who partook. But, in any case...we liked them. I put my head to bed that night knowing that we could build upon that already delicious recipe next time! I wish I took a picture of the finished product, but I didn't intend on blogging about it. Boy, was I wrong...the chick pea would not be ignored, apparently, because he rolled his way into my subconscious and got to work! 

Last night I had a dream about falafel. (If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one...) It was a short, but powerful dream. Beth and I were in my kitchen and we were mixing up our falafel but we decided to add cheese and spinach. They were seasoned to perfection, cooked perfectly, and when they came out of the fryer they were oozing with melted goodness. In my dream, it was some sort of manchego (or equally gooey) cheese that transformed this falafel from fabulous to falafel-icious. I awoke wondering if this creation actually exists! I knew I could ask my friend and fellow foodie, Logan at Eat A Duck. And, while he wasn't sure if this specific breed of falafel exists in real life, he suggested modifying my imaginary recipe by adding halloumi cheese and kale. He also suggested adding lemon next time, which would definitely brighten it up. 

I'm excited to try this! I'm thinking up all sorts of varieties of stuffed falafel now. It's like a big, old Mediterranean door has swung open. It's a falafa-palooza! The possibilities are endless! And, that, my friends, is the wonderful thing about the humble chick-pea. He's versatile. He's adaptable. He's there when I need him. He's healthy, filling, and downright adorable. You can soak him, blend him, smash him, fry him and in the end he will still make his way into your dreams, and gently suggest that you try again.

My garbanzo bean partner in crime and I.