Flexibility in a Bowl

I’ve had to work late a lot lately.  And not that I was all that good at it when I worked full-time, but I certainly have gotten out of the habit of planning ahead for dinner. Which was the case one night last week.

Good thing I’m so flexible.

Yeah right.

My mom is probably rolling her eyes about now.

Anyway, I had to come up with a weeknight meal on the fly.  In my book, the criteria that make a great weeknight meal are:

1. tasty
2. healthy
3. doesn’t dirty a thousand dishes
4. not dependent on my remembering to lay something out before I leave for work

So instead of the white bean chicken chili I had shopped for, I decided to substitute some ground turkey that I could defrost in the microwave.

I was pretty pleased how it turned out and thought I’d share it.

White Bean Turkey Chili

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion
• 2 jalepenos
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small can of green chilis
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• chopped cilantro
• 4 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• salt & pepper

With a little olive oil in the bottom of a heavy pot, saute the onion, garlic, jalepeno, and turkey (seasoned with salt & pepper) until the meat is cooked and the veg is tender.  Add the green chilis, cumin, and cayenne and heat through.  Then add the white beans and chicken broth.  (If you prefer a thicker chili, reduce the amount of stock to 3 to 3 1/2 cups).  Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so and then throw in about 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro.

I added some shredded pepper jack on top for a little extra kick.  Even Tripp liked it and that’s high praise from him for something that is served in a bowl.

I hope this recipe helps if you ever have one of those days and need an easy, yummy weeknight dinner. 

Peace, Kelly