Buffalo Turkey Chili

A healthy, hearty delicious and cheap dish. What more can you want? I think there’s about 400 calories per serving (1 cup), if you omit the sour cream and cheese. Adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/09/buffalo-chicken-and-bean-chili.html

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 habanero, deseeded and minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 15 oz. can pinto beans

1 15 oz. can navy beans

1 15 oz. can pink kidney beans

Salt and pepper

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

½ cup Frank’s hot sauce

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups corn

1.5 cups frozen peas

Garnishes:

Chedder cheese

Green Onions

Sour Cream

Heat a 6 quart dutch oven over medium high, add in a little oil and brown the turkey in two batches (about 5 minutes per batch), salting the turkey as it cooks then removing to a paper towel lined plate when finished.

Drop the heat to medium and add in the onion, carrots and celery, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.  Add in the garlic and habanero and cook for another minute. Add in the tomato paste, and cook for another additional minute.

Add all the stock and beans to the pot along with your seasonings – chili powder, cumin, paprika, Frank’s hot sauce (feel free to use less than ½ cup – start low and add as needed) salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the turkey back to the pot, give it a stir, and bring it back up to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add in the corn and frozen peas, give the pot a stir, then cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, cheese and green onions.

Apple Bacon Gruyere Quesadillas

Apple, Bacon and Gruyere Quesadilla:

1 fuji apple, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

2 slices bacon

2/3 cup shredded gruyere cheese

½ cup arugula, roughly chopped

Caramelized onions (recipe follows)

4 tortillas

For the onions:

Slice 2 yellow onions. Heat a 12” pan over medium low and add a knob of butter (~2 tbsp). Add the onions and cook over medium low, stirring occasionally, for 50 minutes until caramelized. Add ¼ cup water to the pan to deglaze and scrape up any frond with a wooden spoon, allowing the water to evaporate. Season with salt and remove from the pan. You’ll have a ton of extra onions, which you can use as a condiment for just about anything.

Quesadillas:

Cook the slices of bacon in a pan over medium heat. Crumble the bacon into little pieces and drain excess grease. Place a tortilla in the pan (still on medium heat), and layer on half of the apple slices, thyme, bacon pieces, cheese, arugula, and some onions. Top with another tortilla and cook for a minute or two until the tortilla on the bottom gets some color on it. Carefully flip and cook for another minute or two. Remove the quesadilla from the pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Repeat with remaining tortillas/ingredients.