Californian Turkey Chili by Heather

Brandon and I made this chili over the weekend, and it was awesome.  Brandon recently moved to San Francisco, and I was in town visiting for the weekend.  We've started a tradition, where very time I visit, we cook a Sunday meal together.  It's normally a bigger meal, so that he can enjoy the leftovers during the week.  We hadn't made chili in a while, and we wanted to incorporate some fresh veggies and flavors from California to make this version extra special.  The spice mixtures below are based on our preference- if you like things more or less spicy, play around with the measurements to suit your taste buds!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
12 oz. can unsalted crushed tomatoes
12 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 ear corn, kernels removed
2 onions, diced (set aside 1/4 for garnish)
3 green onions, white and green parts diced
1/4 jalapeño, diced (you could also add a roasted poblano if you can find them)
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6 good shakes of Cholula or your hot sauce of choice

Spices:
4 tbs. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
at least 4 tbs.  chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
dollop of Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)
1/4 cup diced cilantro
diced raw onion
hot sauce (we prefer Cholula)
avocado





Add 2 tbs. olive oil to a large pot, and sauté the onions on medium high heat.  Once onions are translucent, add the corn, green onions, and jalapeño, cooking for 3 minutes.  Add the ground turkey, crumbling with wooden spoon until fully cooked.  Add the two cans of tomatoes, then the spice mixture.  Once the chili is boiling, add in the kidney beans, and stir until combined.  Add in the Worcestershire sauce and cholula.



Cover the chili and let it cook for at least 30 minutes on a simmer- the longer the better to let the flavors combine.  Taste periodically, adding more spices or hot sauce as necessary.  Ladle into bowls and serve with any or all of the garnishes listed above!