Quick Turkey Chili

This weekend, I broke my stubborn streak of refusing to do anything in the kitchen besides lazily throwing veggies into the oven to roast. Instead, while leafing through my new copy of Dinner: A Love Story, by Jenny Rosenstrach, I stumbled upon what looked like a ridiculously easy recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods, turkey chili. The directions amounted to all of six short sentences and I had almost all of the ingredients in my fridge and my pantry already, so I got down to it after a quick run to the TriBeCa greenmarket for some freshly ground turkey.

About 30 minutes later, I was sitting contentedly on my couch clutching a steaming bowl of seriously delicious turkey chili and eagerly perusing the book for more recipes like this one. The ease of the recipe really belies the goodness of it, which is pretty much quality numero uno in my list of things I want in all areas of life, but especially in my various stovetop projects. I've made a lot of turkey chilis in my day, but this one has just become my new go-to. Try it out! xo

Quick Turkey Chili
Serves 6 
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Few glugs of olive oil
1 pound ground turkey (dark meat is always preferable) or beef
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (crucial)
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained

Directions:
Over medium-low heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil about 3 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and brown the meat until it loses its pink color. Add salt, pepper, and the chili powder—get it sizzly so the spices get cooking—and then add the tomatoes and the remaining spices.

Turn down the heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, and add the beans. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the beans are warmed through.

Serve with white or brown rice and any combination of the following: avocado chunks, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream.