November 18, 2023 In Recipes

Turkey Chili

It’s Thanksgiving week! I am so excited to welcome my kids home from college, my parents, and sister Harrison and her family for the marathon week of food, fun, fellowship, and football. I am making a big pot of turkey chili for the Wednesday night welcome home. To make the dinner feel a little more special, I will set up a chili bar with all the yummy toppings like avocado, blue corn chips, sweet cornbread, two different kinds of shredded cheese, cilantro, green onions, sour cream (and greek yogurt), and every kind of hot sauce. I am partial to Crystal’s! The chili is simple to prepare, super delicious and easy clean-up! My favorite thing about this recipe is all the fresh herbs tossed in the pot at the end. Why not make it healthy as well as delicious!

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Turkey Chili

Course Main Course
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 2 leeks, cleaned and diced
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 lb ground turkey breast
  • olive oil
  • 1 green pepper, diced, seeds and ribs removed
  • 1 orange pepper, diced, seeds and ribs removed
  • 1 yellow pepper, diced, seeds and ribs removed
  • 1 whole Sweet potato, cut in chuncks
  • 1 cup French green lentils
  • 1 14 oz Can of Beans rinsed of your choosing. I like Cannellini.
  • 2 cans Whole San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 boxes Chicken or Vegetable stock
  • 3 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Brown sugar, more if too acidic
  • 1 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups Fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup basil, roughly chopped
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • 1-2 avocado sliced
  • 1 cup Sharp cheddar shedded
  • 1 cup Sour cream or greek yogurt
  • 1 lime, squeezed
  • 2 cups brown rice, prepared

Instructions

  1. Generously coat the bottom of your soup pot with olive oil. Saute onion, celery, leeks, and carrots with all spices, salt and pepper for 3-5 minutes, or until softened.

  2. Add ground turkey breast. One turkey is cooked through, pour in cans of tomatoes (including liquid), chicken stock, and tomato paste into pot. Add peppers, sweet potato, lentils, and beans.

  3. Allow to simmer for at least thirty minutes, and longer for more flavor.

  4. I usually cut up the tomatoes in the pot, and by taste, add more spices. Add sugar to reduce acidity.

  5. Add cilantro, parsley, basil, spinach and juice from one lime and turn off the heat.

  6. In a separate pot, prepare 2 cups of brown rice and place at the bottom of each bowl, and then ladle in soup. Garnish with avocado, cheddar cheese, chips, corn bread and a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Holy One,

How do we begin to say thank you?

How do we stand before you in our humble garb of flesh and bone
and thank you for all that we are—

Divinely-made, tenderly loved, and eternally-bound.

How do we say thank you for all that we have—

That one part of us that the world cannot have

Because it belongs to you.

The place where you dwell so we are never left alone.

The place that radiates your glory,
and is charged with delivering your Message
of Love into creation.

How do we say thank you for giving us our mothers and our fathers,
our sons and daughters, friends and enemies,
neighbors and strangers—

To practice love, to practice healing, to practice mercy,
to practice grace on your behalf.

How do we say thank you for the obstacles placed in our path
the bruised knees and broken hearts
that prove how strong and resilient you created us to be.

How do we say thank you for every dawn
that breaks through the dark night,
ushering in joy in the morning.

 How do we say thank you for the second and the third
and the fourth and the thousandth chance—you give us to try again,
try and love better, try and be better versions of ourselves,
try and live lives that are holy. 

How do we say thank you for your invitation to break bread
at your table of thanksgiving—
the Table where all are welcome, all are accounted for,
and all are praised as holy and heaven bound.
It is at this table of Thanksgiving where we come and seek nourishment deep in the belly of our souls— 

And leave pointed in the direction of our salvation.

Ho do we say thank you?

It all comes down to love—

Let it be said:

We loved well and often.

Amen.

weekly_tip_for_souljoy

Thanksgiving is a loud and busy time, invite a little calm in the kitchen with Goldberg’s Variations.

3 Comments

  • Corky Herbert

    November 20, 2023 at 7:36 am

    At the beginning of a busy week that will include the funeral of a friend, the 13th birthday of a granddaughter, and a Thanksgiving meal here with extended family, what a perfect offering this is: a practical and healthy recipe and a prayer that reminds us of God’s abundant love and the outreach he calls us to offer.

  • Janice Parker

    November 20, 2023 at 8:00 am

    Farrell, thank you for this beautiful prayer of thanksgiving!
    I pray that you have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving with your family!

  • Diane Tucker

    November 20, 2023 at 8:09 pm

    4 stars
    You’re amazing! Having most of your family in for Thanksgiving! You are loved!