Active Junky Original Recipe: Tri-Colored Chili

By Sandy Reese

Here's a proven Active Junky Original Recipe to cook, share and freeze for the frigid weeks ahead. While it yields generous portions, don't be surprised if there's not much left over to freeze.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped (use one yellow, orange and red pepper for aesthetic appeal)
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon freeze dried coffee
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional heat)
30 ounces water
29 ounce can of diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of black beans, drained
15 ounce can of refried beans
8 ounces of diced green chilies (2 X 4 ounce cans)

Directions:

Brown the turkey over medium-high heat, breaking the meat up into small pieces while cooking.  If the turkey is very lean, spray the sauté pan with cooking spray to keep it from sticking.  When cooked through, add chili powder, paprika, instant coffee, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Mix thoroughly.

Put the olive oil into a large pan and add onion, garlic, peppers, carrots and celery. Sauté until soft but not browned.  

Add the cooked, spiced turkey to the vegetable mixture.  Add cilantro, canned tomatoes, water, both types of beans and canned chilies.  

Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer; cook approximately 1 hour or longer.  Stir on occasion to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.  

Add salt to taste

If you can resist eating the chili the day you cook it (hard to do), it’s actually more delicious the next day.

Enjoy.