Turkey Chili

Quick and easy meal tonight!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds turkey meat
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large sweet red pepper, cored, deveined and coarsely chopped
1 large sweet yellow pepper, cored, deveined and coarsely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, cored, deveined and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, cored, deveined and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tablespoon, dried

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
15-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream (optional)

Preparation:

Heat the oil over high heat in a large heavy pot and add the turkey meat. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, chopping down and stirring with the side of a heavy kitchen spoon to break up any lumps.  Add the onions, garlic, sweet peppers, jalapeño pepper, oregano, bay leaves, chili powder and cumin. Stir to blend well. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.  Add the drained beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes longer. Serve in bowls with cheddar cheese, and sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7985-turkey-chili

Red Lentil Soup With Lemon

I was at the supermarket shopping and I thought about this recipe that my coworker told me about.  There supermarket had red lentils so I decided to make it.  I added the roasted garlic chicken sausages and paprika.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I used 2 teaspoons)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chile powder and cayenne, more to taste (I used 1/4 teaspoon of both)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (this wasn't in the recipe)
32 oz. chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
4 sliced roasted garlic chicken sausages
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

Preparation:

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.

My apologies for the poor picture.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup-with-lemon