Everyone has their little food-isms. Some people get all freaked out by parsley, or can’t stand the texture of coconut.
Mine all fall under the category of “Spicy.” I don’t do spicy. I don’t put pepper (which to me is spicy) in anything – literally, not ever, and this was a bit of a thing when I was writing the recipe section of my book because apparently it is very weird to say “season with salt” as opposed to “season with salt and pepper.”
Because…everyone on the planet but me likes pepper?
I mean, eating pepper conveys the general sensation of inhaling antifreeze, so I’m not sure how this can be, but apparently it is so.
Another food sub-category I have largely disregarded: chili. I spent the first three decades of my life giving the stuff an extremely wide berth, because, like I said, I don’t do spicy…and isn’t “spicy” kind of the point of chili? (Let’s not even talk about how it looks; there’s nothing that can be done about that.) And then a couple of years ago I decided to put on my Good Wife hat and make Kendrick chili because he really loves it, and I asked my friend Anna for a recipe, and she gave me this one…and oh my goodness, it is so delicious. And so easy. And so flavorful. And so inexpensive.
All things I like, so there you go: now I eat chili. A lot.
(Still doesn’t have pepper in it, though.)
Easy Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
What You Need:
1 1/2-2 lbs lean ground turkey
Garlic powder
Season salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (15-oz) can black beans
1 (16-oz) can tomato sauce
Half a packet of chili seasoning mix
Salt to taste
Toppings: Shredded cheese (I usually go for cheddar or a four-cheese mix), sour cream, fresh chopped parsley.
What You Do:
1. Very generously season the turkey with garlic powder and season salt. (You will think you are adding too much. Add more. It’s good.)
2. Add a little olive oil to a large pan and cook the turkey (breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon) until it’s cooked through, and no longer pink.
3. Remove the turkey meat to a slow cooker, and add all the remaining ingredients (except for the toppings).
4. Cook on high for an hour or two, then on low for another 7 hours or so. Check the seasoning every once in awhile.
Serve over rice with the toppings on the side.
