#82 Turkey Chili with Garbanzo Beans

We made Chili using a much leaner turkey meat and garbanzo beans. Before I started cooking it, I was worried that I am planning to put too much Cumin, one of my favorite spices, because I really love a chili that tastes very "cuminy" :)  But my instinct told me that it's okay...go ahead, add more! It turned out just right and delicious, just as what I had imagined. Since we started this journey, I have been increasingly comfortable in tweaking recipes that I discover every day. And I am now able to imagine what magic a teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of salt or coriander, or a teaspoon of dill weed can do to a dish in the making. This newly acquired skill resulted from my insane craving to taste unknown flavors and a kitchen habit used to satisfy it -- a strange tasting habit that never left me ever since I first became a mother. Most, if not all mothers taste every bit of food before they feed it to their children, and while most get rid of this habit when their children grow up, mine stuck with me forever. Now, not only do I have to taste prepared food before serving, I also have to taste every spice before I add it to a pot, that has either a simmering sauce or a boiling quart of broth, or even to a pan splattering with hot oil...I already know that Cayenne pepper is spicy and cumin does not taste good by itself...but I do it anyway every. single. time. Weird, I know. After months of consciously and unconsciously doing this, I discovered that when I look at recipes, I could actually develop a taste in my mind while reading the ingredients. But is it the spice tasting or  is it because I am just so obsessed with cooking nowadays. Haha! I hope this is normal? (gulp!) and that maybe this comes naturally to people who put their hearts in learning how to cook. :) When I saw a recipe for Chili last week, I thought, hmm, I can make this with turkey meat to cut the fat, and since I had some garbanzo beans sitting in the pantry  for five months now, I decided to use it this time. The garbanzo beans tastes great in it!  This cuminy  turkey garbanzo chili is appetizing, it's made with simple ingredients yet very satisfying and healthier too. I love it!

TURKEY CHILI with GARBANZOS

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground turkey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups of water

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

2 chopped tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon chicken base

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) (400 ml)

salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a pot, saute garlic until brown, then add the onion and the turkey meat, stir, and let cook.
2. Add the cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground black pepper. Stir. Add the tomato sauce.
3. Add the chicken base to the 2 cups water and mix well, add then pour it in the pot. Let boil.
4. Add the garbanzo beans and simmer for 30 minutes. Salt to taste.
5. Serve warm, top with light sour cream and shredded cheese.

Who first made the Chili is unknown. Here is a link where you can find interesting facts about the History of Chili.

This will make a good light Chili for Sunday's Cinco de Mayo. We also have a recipe for Guacamole . :)  Hope you enjoy it!