The day started with weather warnings of high winds and driving rain. When I drove into town, it really didn’t appear to be that bad. Perhaps it was the lull before the store. I decided to stock up on a few groceries. A big pot of chili sounded good for supper. Boy, was I right! The storm hit hard about an hour after I got home from the store. Electricity went out in town, and our lights were flickering. Were we going to lose all power in a sort while? I decided the best thing to do was to get the pot of chili made as quickly as I could.

I’ve changed some of the ingredients in my family favorite chile recipe to make it healthier. This chili is made with ground turkey instead of ground beef, organic canned goods, and fresh organic produce. The original recipe called for a can of pop or beer, but I changed it to sparkling water. The carbonation tenderizes the meat. The only antibiotic-free, nitrate-free ground Italian sausage my grocery had was in links, so I cut off the casings and cooked the Italian sausage inside.

The first thing to do is to cook the ground turkey and Italian sausage. Stir occasionally.

Keeping a close eye on the cooking turkey and sausage, chop the three peppers and half yellow onion.

When the meat is fully cooked, drain any fat. There should be little to none.  Add the beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

Now stir well.

Add the spices and chopped veggies. I think this recipe has the perfect blend of spices.

It should look like this. Now you need to stir everything together.

Add the 4 teaspoons of chicken bouillon. I especially like this brand of chicken base. Add the sparkling water and tabasco sauce.

Stir well. Cover and cook on low for the next 2 hours. Be sure to stir occasionally. You don’t want to burn the bottom of the chili! Taste part way through and add more spices if need be. This recipe also works well in the crockpot. It makes a large amount so you can freeze the extra or refrigerate and heat up for tomorrow’s lunch!

When ready to eat, serve yourself a huge helping and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Chili

2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken
1 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage
2 (15 oz) cans chili beans
1 (15 oz) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green chili pepper, seeded and chopped
½ large yellow onion, chopped
¼ c. chili powder
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried basil
1 t. black pepper
1 t. paprika
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. white sugar
2 t. garlic salt
2 t. hot pepper sauce
4 chicken bouillon cubes
½ c. sparkling water

Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Crumble the ground turkey and Italian sausage (casings removed if using linked) into the hot pan, cooking until evenly browned.

Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the chopped vegetables. Add seasonings, sugar, hot sauce, bouillon and sparkling water. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. After 2 hours, taste and adjust salt, pepper and chili powder if needed. Continue to simmer and the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve. Freeze or refrigerate remaining chili.