Recipe: White Chili

Get out your grocery list, you're going to want to make this. I'll admit that I typically follow recipes exactly, I'm always afraid of adding too much of this or too little of that and ruining dinner -- but not this time! This time I read about 5 or 6 different recipes for white chili, mixed and matched the ingredients and spices that sounded best, and came up with this:

It looks delicious, I know... don't worry, it is.

A good base of green chile peppers, cannelini beans, ground turkey....

and plenty of spices.

Serve with tortilla chips, top with sour cream and jalapenos. These are a must, no questions asked, okay? Oh, you can add cheese too...if you want, but I didn't. Tony was in heaven and I wasn't far behind, we love this dish!

White Chili
The goods:
- 1 lb. ground turkey, 93/7
- 3 c. cannelini beans (canned or cooked from dry beans)
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tbsp. cumin
- 3/4 tbsp. oregano (a weird measurement, I know...but you can eyeball it)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (trust me, you want the cinnamon)
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your taste)
- 3 c. chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste

The drill:
1) In a large pot over medium heat, saute garlic and turkey, about 10 minutes or until turkey is cooked through. Add the chile peppers and spices, saute about 5 more minutes.... this allows the spices to get all nice toasty, releasing the best flavor, before adding the liquids.
2) Add 2 1/2 cups of beans and chicken broth to the pot. Take 1/2 cup of beans, mash them well using a fork, add to pot -- this will give the soup a richer, more creamy consistency. Simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.
3) Don't forget what I said about the necessities: chips, jalapenos, sour cream.

...and go! Now hurry and make this before it's too warm outside!