First Fall Chili

What’s the first soup you make in the cool weather season?

Some years I go with Zuppa Toscana, sometimes creamy tortellini. In 2022, I went with Chili.

The beauty of chili is you don’t need a recipe. I had recently read a recipe that included maple syrup and dark chocolate powder. I know other people put bittersweet chocolate in their chili, but I haven’t actually tried that. So, I decided to try it out tonight.

Ingredients:

• Avocado Oil
• 1# Ground Turkey
• Half White Onion
• 2 Poblano Peppers
• Spice Mix
• 4 Tomatoes (not Roma)
• 1can of Black Beans
• 1can of Kidney Beans
• 1can of Navy Beans
• 1.5T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1T Maple Syrup

Spice Mix Ingredients:

• Pink Himalayan Salt
• Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Cinnamon
• Tumeric
• Ground Peppercorns
• Cayenne

I didn’t actually measure these out, just went with what felt right. I love cumin and usually use more of that than other spices. The paprika was the next largest amount. Cinnamon and pepper were the two smaller amounts.

Steps:

1. Brown the ground turkey in the avocado oil as you dice the half onion.
2. Add the onion to the ground turkey.
3. Dice the poblano peppers and add to the pot.
4. Add the spice mix and stir well, making sure all the turkey is covered. Don’t worry if it looks a little yellow; that’s the tumeric.
5. Dice and add the tomatoes to the pot.
6. Stir stir stir.
7. Add all the beans and stir some more.
8. Add the cocoa and maple syrup.
9. Stir again.
10. Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it simmer 10-15min.
11. Stir before serving.

That gave me enough for supper tonight, 2 bowls in the fridge for later this week, and 3 servings in teh freezer for a night when I don’t have the time or desire to cook or the budget is tight.

What I want to do differently next time: not used beans in an aluminum can. Either their beans I (or my mama) canned ourselves or beans I’ve soaked overnight.