All of a sudden it's turned chilly and fall-ish in Los Angeles. Two weeks ago we were sweating in shorts and flip flops and now we are dragging out sweaters and boots. It was time to make something warm and hearty for dinner! I posted earlier that I am always searching out chili recipes without tomatoes (still have to try a Texas Chili recipe submitted by a reader), but in the meanwhile I rely on my white turkey chili, which has become a favorite with friends and family. With lots of hearty taste and texture, you won't even miss the tomatoes! Another reason this has been welcomed is that my stomach is still recovering from my recent battle with food poisoning (the longest duration I've ever had -- one week, requiring antibiotics) and this chili is not spicy yet still satisfying. For you hotheads out there, you can still add hot sauce at the end!
The secret ingredient is the broth. My absolute favorite broth is from Savory Choice -- easy to use individual packets, and rich, hearty flavor that doesn't use garlic, celery or carrots. Hooray! I've seen Savory Choice sold in Whole Foods and Bristol Farms, hopefully they get to regular grocery stores soon, they're AWESOME. Please try to find this brand when you can. You can also use chicken broth, but keep in mind that the quality and saltiness varies greatly from brand to brand and you may have to adjust the seasonings accordingly.
FAQ Famous White Turkey Chili
Four generous servings
2 TBS. olive oil
1 small onion or 1/2 medium onion, diced
1-1/2 lbs. ground turkey (dark meat if possible)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 TBS. ground cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
2 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans (or other white beans)
1 4 oz. can of diced mild green chiles
4 cups turkey broth made from 4 packets of Savory Choice (or chicken broth of your choice)
1 can whole black olives
diced green onions for garnish
Heat the oil in a large pot (6 quarts/dutch oven) over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute until softened and lightly browned.
Add in ground turkey, salt pepper, cumin and onion powder and cook until browned. As turkey is cooking, break up the turkey with a wooden spoon so that the meat is in smallish pieces, it's tough to eat big chunks!
Add in broth, bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes for flavors to meld. Add in olives just before serving to heat through (if you add the olives too early they get mushy). Taste and correct seasoning. This is meant to have a thin broth. If you like it thicker, you can crumble a few tortilla chips into the chili and simmer for a few minutes (this is a good trick to thicken soups without using flour!)
Serve with diced green onions as a garnish. Tastes great served with cornbread. My non-allergic bf likes to top his with sour cream or cottage cheese as well.
5 comments:
Yay! Thanks for a chili recipe without tomatoes & celery (hubby is allergic to those). Can't wait to try this recipe.
That looks fantastic! It's nice to see an alternative to the usual "all beef" chili that my mother tries to force-feed me in the winter time. If you are looking for more allergy-friendly recipes I would suggest The Super Allergy Girl Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, Nut-Free Allergy & Celiac Cookbook by Lisa Lundy. She has lots of great alternatives that are safe for allergy sufferers but still taste really good. Her website is www.TheSuperAllergyCookbook.com. I am a student at Penn State and had the good fortune of meeting her this Fall. She is more than willing to share her knowledge with anyone and everyone.
Anonymous, hope you and hubby like it! If you use the Savory Choice brand of broth, you can avoid the celery -- not all the other broth brands are celery-free.
Brittany, thanks for the support. I'm always trying to come up with non-tomato recipes, which how I got to this one. But it's since become a favorite on it's own merits. My BF (who can eat dairy) loves it with sour cream or cottage cheese on top along with the green onions. Enjoy!
Hi - I was wondering about your broth selection. Nowhere on the Savory Choice box is it labeled Gluten Free and both the chicken and beef broths contain maltodextrin which can be made from wheat. What do you know about this? Thanks for a great blog!
Hi Anonymous, maltodextrin made in the US is usually made from corn. I started a discussion thread on it: http://tiny.cc/7wmYv
My guess is that there is certification involved in labeling something allergen-free, so not everyone does it. It doesn't necessarily mean that the product is not gf, it just may not be certified! Thanks for asking.
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