Monday, January 7, 2013

Spicy Turkey Chili Soup + How to Make Homemade Spicy Taco Seasoning

Now that I've created my obligatory Best of 2012, plus Saturday's Recommendations From A Bibliophile: Christmas 2012 Edition post, it's time for the first recipe of 2013!

Wanna guess what it is? 

If you read my last post, you'll already know. 

::drumroll::

It's my own adaptation of Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup!

Like I said before, it's amazing! I could hardly wait to post about it. Especially since it was received so positively on my Instagram account. I've already messaged one friend on Facebook with recipe details so she can make it for her boyfriend, so I figured I needed to write about it here ASAP. After all, it is a lean and healthy chili and lots of folks seek out lower-carb recipes this time of year.

Since I used homemade chicken stock and taco seasoning, I think my version is even better than the original. (Sorry, Gina!) Aside from that, I added twice as much taco seasoning, swapped out some veggies, left out certain ingredients and piled on a few different toppings. 

My version is quite a bit spicier than the Skinnytaste recipe (since my homemade taco seasoning has cayenne and crushed red pepper), but I think this makes the dish special. Since it calls for lean ground turkey and mostly veggies, there's hardly any fat or carbs, so you want a lot of flavor, and the slight spiciness elevates it from a normal chili or soup!  

And if you make it with or without changes—do tell! If you share your variations, it'll give me ideas for next time. Plus, I want to know how it turned out. :)

Spicy Turkey Chili with Taco Seasoning
A spicy, low-fat soup (well...if you leave out the bacon) made with black beans, red bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, roasted green chiles and lean turkey, plus homemade spicy taco seasoning and chicken stock.  
Slightly Adapted from Skinnytaste's Turkey Chili Taco Soup
Serves: 4-5 (more if you don't eat second or third helpings!)

Ingredients
1 piece of peppered thick-cut bacon, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
--I recommend this brand since it passed the EVOO Test-- 
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 red bell peppers, deseeded and chopped
1 lb of ground turkey breast (I used 95% lean)
4 tablespoons of homemade spicy taco seasoning
1 (15 oz) can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can of roasted green chiles 
2 cups of homemade black beans (get the recipe here)
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups* of low-sodium chicken stock (get my homemade recipe

Optional Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Full-fat sour cream
Diced avocado 
Thinly sliced green onion 
Diced cilantro
Fresh lime juice
Fire roasted salsa

Recommended Equipment
stainless steel stock pot or enameled cast-iron dutch oven

Directions
Dice the bacon into tiny pieces. Heat a stockpot to medium heat and add the bacon. Let this cook for 3-5 minutes. The bacon will crispen slightly and the fat will spread out along the pan. Peel and dice an onion. Add the olive oil then the onion to the pan. Cook for five minutes. Deseed and dice the red bell peppers. Toss into to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the turkey and stir around, breaking it up into little chunks as it cooks. Season everything with sea salt and garlic powder, to taste. When it's cooked through (no pink left), sprinkle everything with the taco seasoning and stir thoroughly. 

Add all canned items (fire-roasted diced tomatoes, roasted green chiles, and tomato sauce) and then the homemade beans. Stir everything to distribute the taco seasoning, then pour in the chicken stock until it's reached the consistency you want. Add less stock if you want it to taste more like a chili and more stock if you'd like it soupier. Bring the chili/soup to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary (I didn't need any more). Prepare your desired toppings, ladle your chili out into bowls, top, and serve! 

Notes & Tips
Swap out my ingredients for whatever beans or veggies you prefer. That's what I did with the original recipe. You could try kidney, pinto or white beans, for instance.

If you don't have the ingredients to make your own homemade taco seasoning, look for an all-natural,  low-sodium brand at the store (if they have it). Most are chock-full of gross artificial ingredients, so watch out!

Out of turkey? It'd taste equally great with ground beef, bison, or pork. Or, throw in leftover roasted pork, chicken or beef!
  

Question for Discussion: What's your favorite way to use taco seasoning?

Answer in the comments section below or join the conversation on The Rising Spoon Facebook page. Prefer Twitter? And feel free to circle me on Google Plus or follow me on Pinterest.

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. However, I ONLY recommend helpful products that I myself would use. And I'm really picky about what I share with you guys. Because I myself am super choosy about what I buy and consume. Recommending products that I love or want to own helps me cover the costs of running this blog and keep providing you with free, helpful information. And it costs nothing extra for you. Thanks!

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