Buffalo Turkey Chili

Let's talk turkey.

Afterall, it is officially November.  The month that just so happens to center around a big, fat turkey.  The month where the hustle and bustle begin.  The month where maybe, just mayyyybe, the cold weather will finally set in (yea, it's 90 here today).  The month where Christmas trees will go up, pies will be made, and holiday travel plans will be arranged.  Yea....it's gonna be a busy month.

So in the midst of all that craziness, tuck this recipe away in your arsenal to pull out for a quick, easy, and delicious meal on a cold and busy night.  Ok that last sentence didn't do this chili justice.  Let me tell you just how good this chili is.  It is sooo good, that while eating it for dinner, Nathan actually stopped mid-bite to say "wow, this is good".  This NEVER happens people.  The majority of the time while eating dinner I will eventually prompt "how is it?" for fear that he is simply avoiding commenting on what he deems to be a disgusting meal and secretly forcing it down his throat.  So to get a non-prompted, mid-bite compliment is earth shattering.  (p.s. he also text me the next day at work asking if we had any leftover.  Big. Fat. No.  We polished that sucker off.)

Buffalo Turkey Chili

Serves 2 (easily doubled)

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 tablespoon oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 cup celery, sliced

1/4 cup carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup beer or chicken broth

1/2 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Pinch cayenne

1/4 cup hot sauce (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Crumbled blue cheese. cheddar cheese, and cilantro, for topping

Cook the turkey in a large pan over medium heat and set aside.  Heat the oil in the pan, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the beer or broth and deglaze the pan.  Add turkey, tomatoes, paprika, oregano, cayenne and hot sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.  Serve topped with crumbled blue cheese, cheddar, and cilantro to taste.

Adapted from Closet Cooking.

Spicy Spanish Turkey Meatball Stew

I just couldn't help myself...

Yes, I realize every food blog out there is kicking off October with something involving pumpkin puree (oh and don't you worry, I've got a few up my sleeve as well), but I figured I would start things off a little different.  With soup.  Well, stew actually, but that's just a technicality. 

Let me be honest:  we're obsessed with soup in this house.  Nathan and I spent a good chunk of our college days feasting on grilled cheese sandwiches dredged in tomato soup (remember the mean grilled cheese that Nathan makes?).  And it was a pretty rainy weekend down here in Texas putting me in the mood to flip open that new food network magazine lying on the coffee table that just so happens to feature a bowl of tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons on the cover (this issue was made for us!).  So straight to the soups I searched...leading me to this little gem of a stew.  I already had everything on hand (even had some ground turkey thawing for potential barbecue burgers Sunday night, but plans changed for that turkey). 

This is the perfect meal for the upcoming cold nights- hot and spicy warming you all the way through.  (I may have said "whew! spicy!" a few times during this meal).  Delicious served with fresh bread to sop up the juices left in the bowl and to help mellow out the heat :)

Spicy Spanish Turkey Meatball Stew

Serves 2 (heartily) or 3 (reasonably)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch kosher salt and ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 cup sliced small carrots

1 14-ounce can low-sodium diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup frozen kernel corn

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the paprika and carrots to the remaining onion mixture in the skillet and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and corn; bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the ground turkey, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the bowl with the reserved onion mixture and mix with your hands. Form the turkey mixture into 8 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the skillet with the sauce and simmer, turning once, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Serve with cilantro.

Adapted from Food Network.