Week 1: Black Bean Chili

This week Abby and I decided to make chili (okay...I decided, and Abby graciously complied). Hopefully this will be our last week of cold before spring finally sets in...

The recipe called for ground chicken, but I substituted lean ground turkey since they didn't have ground chicken at Walmart.

Spoon it over rice, ladle it into a mug, serve it with corn bread or nachos, or crumble in some crackers. Anyway you serve it, this hearty chicken chili is savory and satisfying and sure to soup up your supper. (We chose to eat it with corn muffins and tortillas.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil


• 2 large onions, chopped (yes...this a lot!)


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground chicken


• 1 can diced tomatoes


• 3/4 cup ketchup


• 2 Tbsp. Mexican chili powder


• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin


• 1 tsp. crumbled dry oregano


• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper


• 1 tsp. salt


• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground chicken and continue cooking, stirring to break up the clumps, for another 5 to 7 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Add diced tomatoes (and all the juice from the can), ketchup, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once in a while. Add beans and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later; it reheats beautifully.