Slow Carb Turkey Chili

Turkey chili is great, and it's even better when you can say that you made it yourself.  This recipe fits nicely into a slow carb diet... basically it's just vegetables, beans, and meat.  It makes enough for 6-8 bowls, so count on having leftovers, which is never a bad thing.  And having turkey chili already made and ready to eat after work for a few days is awesome.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think.  Feel free to experiment with the spices to create your own perfect blend.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 medium onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 green onions
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
• 12 oz ground turkey
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• Chili powder (to taste... be generous! 2 tbsp or more!)
• Cumin (again, be generous! ~ 1 tbsp)
• Coarse salt (to taste... add sparingly at first, then add more later if you need)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Cilantro (~1 tbsp)
• Oregano (~1 tbsp)

Directions:

1. Set the stove to medium/high heat.  In a large sauce pan, coat the bottom with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil.   and heat it up.
2. Cut into small pieces: medium onion, green onion, red pepper, green pepper, garlic, jalapeño (if you like it spicy!).  Throw them into the sauce pan, and periodically stir them.  Cook them until everything is tender (~5 minutes).  If anything starts burning to the bottom, the heat is too high!
3. When everything has cooked nicely, add the ground turkey, break it up with your spatula, and stir it in.  Continue to cook until the turkey has cooked and there is barely any pink colour left.  (It will continue cooking in the next few steps, so don't worry!)
4. Once the turkey has cooked, throw in the rest of the ingredients: chicken broth, kidney beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, pepper, cilantro, oregano.  (For the spices, be generous with the chili powder and the cumin, and add the rest to your taste.  Add it all, stir it up, and give it a taste and adjust as necessary.)
5. Cover the sauce pan, heat to boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer it for a minimum of 1-2 hours.

Recommendations and options:

• This chili tastes great, but is very dependent on how you season it.  The chili powder and cumin make the dish (I think), but experiment with it to find what you like the best.  Also, I find that the longer the chili simmers, the easier it is to digest (ie. you're not so gassy!)
• Optional (non-slow carb) addition #1:  When you've added the chicken broth and you have a big soupy mixture, throw in a square of semi-sweet baking chocolate.  Sounds weird, but trust me, it's awesome!  
• Optional (non-slow carb) addition #2:  Serve the chili with a sprinkle of cheese (I like Kraft shredded Mozza-cheddar) and a spoon of sour cream.
• Optional (non-slow carb) addition #3:  Serve it up with a bowl of tortilla chips!