CEIMB (A Week Late!): White Turkey Chili

Today I'm going to post about last week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe, White Turkey Chili, chosen by Leslie of Lethally Delicious. I was out of town for a few days last week, so this recipe just didn't get made in time to blog about it last Thursday. However, I had been wanting to try this one for quite some time now, so I made sure I caught up and made it this week. Plus, I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have made this week's Beef and Mushroom Barley Soup, since my hubby is the only one that would have eaten it. So this seemed like the perfect compromise.



This chili is definitely more flavorful and layered than it may at first appear to be. A fragrant blend of vegetables is sauteed (though I had to swap out celery and add carrots, and trade jalapenos for the poblanos, since that is what I had). Then, a simple but delicious spice blend of coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper is thrown into the mix. Then, you cook the turkey meat, add the broth, and stir in oregano and white beans (I used only one can instead of two, and I pureed them before adding them to the pot). Allow it to simmer for around a half an hour, then add a can of hominy (ok, so I used frozen corn instead!) and more cayenne pepper if it is needed. After another 10 minutes of simmering, you're ready to garnish and serve! I did not use any garnish on my finished chili bowl, but my husband did use a dollop of sour cream and he loved it that way.

We really enjoyed this meal! I didn't have lime wedges on hand, but I really wish I had because I could see how that would have complemented the other flavors. This was so simple to put together, but it delivered lots of flavor. Plus, the two jalapenos I used were nice and fiery, so it had great heat! Since I don't always like the texture of beans, but I do like the nutritional benefits, the pureeing option worked well here. The beans helped to thicken the chili and give it more body. I have tried hominy before and liked it okay, but I had plenty of frozen corn to use up so that seemed like a good swap. Basically, this was a great winter warm-up meal and I can't wait to make it again sometime this winter!



Thanks to Leslie for the pick, and sorry it's a bit late! It was worth the wait, though. For the full recipe, you can go to Food Network's website, here. And it's not too late to check out the blogroll for this recipe and for the Beef Soup chosen for today, at the CEIMB site, here.