Spicy Turkey Chili

It's been a while since I've blogged.  Quite possibly the worst blogger on the planet, but I hope to change that.  I feel I've got a lot to say but I can never really put the words down.  I hope to blog more regularly.

So here to start is a new recipe I've tried.  I found this recipe Spicy Turkey Chili to make for lunch.  I've made some changes based on things I had on hand.  I rather liked the poblano chiles.  It is spicy but not so spicy that you feel like you need to put out a fire in your mouth.  I added some cooked pearled barley to make it heartier instead of serving it with bread or cornbread.

1 tablespoon oil or butter
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 poblano chiles, seeded, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 14 ounce cans beans, any variety, rinsed and drained (I used 3 bean blend of pinto, black and red kidney)
2 cups water (1 cup only if not using barley)

Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips, optional

• In a hot large heavy bottomed pot over high heat, brown the ground turkey in hot oil until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add chiles, onions and garlic to cooked turkey in pot.  Stir and cook until vegetables have softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Combine chili powder, salt, oregano, cumin, cayenne, crushed bay leave and cinnamon in small bowl.  Add this spice mixture to turkey mixture in pot; cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes with juice and water to boil; stir to combine.  Bring to simmer.  Add beans; bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer, stirring occasionally to allow flavors to blend, 35-40 minutes.
• Garnish with shredded cheese or sour cream, if desired.  Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

To make the chili heartier, I added cooked pearled barley.
1 cup pearled barley
3 cups water

• I combined the barley with water in a rice cooker and set it to cook.
• After the chili has simmered, I added 1 more cup of water.  Bring back to simmer.  Stir in cooked barley and allowed to simmer 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings, 6 without barley