Healthy Black Bean Chili

When I want to make something hearty to eat, when I want it spicy (that's almost always) when I want to make it from ingredients that I most likely have in the pantry, when I want it to be something that both keeps well in the refrigerator and freezes exceptionally well, when I want it to be very easy...I opt to make one of my chili dishes. I have been making Turkey Chili for a long time...for me chili is one of those dishes that you can easily vary and have great success each time you do.  Years ago, I just threw different types of canned beans into a pot and added spices and ground meat...that was good, but over the years I have come to perfect it by using freshly cooked beans and grinding several spices in my coffee grinder in a powdery melange of flavors that cook together with ground turkey...the hot steamy dish screams comfort on a cold winter night.  Legumes and ground turkey make for a highly nutritional combination.  Of course you can modify this recipe easily for vegetarians by simply eliminating the meat...the rest of the recipe remains the same.  I often make either blue corn or regular corn muffins to go with. 

Black Bean Chili

2 cups dried black beans

1/2 red onion - diced

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp mexican oregano leaves - crushed between your palms

1 tbsp ground cumin

3 clove of garlic - smashed

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 dried chipotle pod, stem removed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp mexican oregano leaves

1 tsp green chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 can Rotel chopped tomatoes

Place beans into a dutch oven cover with water two inches higher than the top of the beans

Add diced onion, bay leaves, oregano, cumin and garlic

Do not add any salt and pepper until beans are done

Cook covered at 225 degrees in your oven for 5-6 hours

Check for doneness at 5 hrs...black beans tend to cook a bit faster than pinto beans

Remove pot from oven, discard bay leaves, add salt and pepper to taste, replace cover and set aside

If you have a coffee grinder for spices*, process to a fine powder, the paprika, the cumin, the oregano, the coriander, the garlic powder, the onion powder, the red and green chili powders and the chipotle chili pod (if you want your chili extra spicy add one or more extra chipotle pods) In a saute pan, add 2 tbsp of canola oil, the turkey and the spice mixture cook breaking up into small pieces

When the turkey is cooked through, add to the pot of beans along with the can of tomatoes

Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste
*You can use ground spices if you don't have a coffee grinder to pulverize

A very creative way to serve this dish is to warm a flour tortilla, form it in the bottom of a soup bowl (a bowl big enough to hold the tortilla edges below the rim of the bowl

Drop in a dollop of sour cream or plain yoghurt and a handful of sharp cheddar cheese

Pour the hot soup into the formed tortilla

The tortilla softens and gets saturated with the chili making it easy to push the tortilla into the stew...it's a welcomed addition trust me.

Hot spicy cheesy softened tortilla gooeyness is a good thing!

robert