Super Quick and Healthy Turkey Chili

This chili is very healthy and super easy. Chop one large onion (or a couple small ones) and cook over medium heat in your biggest stock pot. You want the onion to cook until translucent, and not brown, about 5-10 minutes.Then chop a couple peppers of your choice- I used pasilla peppers which are a little bit more flavorful than green bell peppers. Chop these and add it to the onions, cook for about 5 more minutes. Once cooked, the onions and peppers should look like this:

To that, add 1 pound of ground turkey or ground turkey breast. I prefer ground turkey breast, but it is sometimes hard to find. Cook, breaking up any large pieces until browned throughout.Now it is time to season. I used 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground corriander, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, plus additional later to taste. Don't add the salt until the end. The beans will stay firm as long as they aren't too salted until the end.Add 3 cans of rinsed beans, I used 2 cans white beans (sometimes called cannellini) and 1 can black beans. If you want to make this vegetarian, add 1-2 more cans of beans. Use whatever combination that you like! To this, add 1 box of chicken broth, (4 cans) preferably low sodium if you have it. If not, just taste the chili before adding the salt at the end. After simmering for a while (as long as you like) I thicken the chili with a little roux. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.
Add 5 tablespoons (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon) of flour to this once the butter has melted and cook over medium heat. Whisk to keep the mixture smooth. I love using whole wheat flour here, it adds a nice nuttiness to the chili and keeps the glycemic index a bit lower then white flour. If you can find whole wheat pastry flour, it's a great alternative to all purpose for these kinds of things.

Cook the roux until bubbly and completely incorporated. Cooking this simple mixture takes the flavor way above just butter and flour. This little bit of mixture will thicken the whole pot of chili remarkably.

Taste the chili, and season with salt, pepper, and more cayenne pepper if you like. I used about 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (don't feel like you have to measure this) and an additional 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over the top of the chili and stir to combine.
Serve with chopped tomato, avocado, plain yogurt, shredded cheese, and any other toppings that you like. The chili can simmer indefinitely on the stove covered if you aren't ready to eat it right away. You can also freeze it, just defrost in the fridge before heating. Makes about 8-10 cups of prepared chili.
Cozy up to a warm bowl with a green salad, a quesedilla, or even just a toasted slice of bread. It's hearty and satisfying. Super Quick and easy!

Shopping List:

1 pound ground turkey or turkey breast

1-2 yellow onions

Peppers/chilies of your choice

3 cans beans (black, pinto, or cannellini are good choices)

1 box chicken broth, low sodium

2 limes

Cumin, Chili Powder, Ground Coriander, Cayenne Pepper

Toppings of your choice: Cheese, avocado, tomatoes, plain yogurt