*Sorry I’ve been MIA… BIG test yesterday but now I’m back! AND the cleanse is over! *
I’ll be the first to admit that this looks a bit like a swampy mess but trust me, it was delicious!
I make chili all the time but they are usually tomato-based. Since I can’t have tomatoes on the cleanse I got to thinking about doing a white chili. There are all sorts of recipes out there for white chili. Some involve dairy, some involve bean purees and others, like this one use grains to thicken it.
I made a few changes to this one because of the cleanse. I swapped the barley out for short grain brown rice. I was going to leave grains out all together but then noticed that the chili just wasn’t thick enough. I didn’t use any turkey breast slices and instead used 1lb of ground turkey. Not for any particular reason though. I didn’t have marjoram or savoury on hand so I used oregano which gave it a nice flavour. I also added zucchini to the mix. Last but not least for the toppings I skipped the dairy in favour of avocado. YUM!
This was such a great substantial dish. The combination of chickpeas, white beans, rice and turkey was so filling. The creamy avocado and the scallion were the perfect mix-ins. I was prepared to think that the white chili would be bland and boring but it wasn’t at all. Even my roommate enjoyed it and took some to work the next day. That’s the true test.
White Turkey Chili
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound uncooked turkey breast slices, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound ground turkey
3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1/4 cup pearl barley
2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño chilies
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried summer savory
1 15- to 16-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) or Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
1 15- to 16-can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained
Several dashes of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
Chopped green onions
Grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Heat vegetable oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cubed turkey breast and ground turkey. Sauté until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
Add 3 cups stock, barley, jalapeños, marjoram and summer savory to turkey mixture. Cover and simmer until barley is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.
Add cannellini and garbanzo beans to chili. Simmer uncovered until barley is tender and chili is thick, about 15 minutes. Season with hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.Bring to simmer before serving.)
Serve chili, passing green onions, cheese and sour cream separately.
Bon Appétit
November 1996
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