I’ve made it my mission over the last few months to use my slow cooker more often. I haven’t been overly successful, but that hasn’t stopped my good intentions. With the autumn months upon us, and schedules becoming insanely busy with kids back to school, there is no better time to haul out the slow cooker. (more…)
I am in desperate need of some summer weather. We had the worst winter in over 100 years here in Winnipeg. I wish that was an exaggeration. It’s actual fact. Now that we finally have some above freezing temperatures, we have yet to be anywhere close to average for this time of year. The trees are still bare and gardens remain empty. We have seen more rain than sunshine in the last couple weeks and I am starting to think I should move to the West Coast and at least have the ocean if I have to put up with all this rain.
Because of the cooler weather, I am still in the comfort food zone. I am still trying to eat relatively healthy, which is proving to be challenging with the lack of spare time I seem to have between my ice hockey and ball hockey schedules. That is why I really love this recipe. It makes a ton of delicious, healthy chilli, and I can easily bring it to work for lunch or have it a few nights in a row as leftovers when I’m shuttling between work and hockey.
The flavours are very complex and rich. There is a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon and cocoa powder. It also has a bit of heat with the jalapeños and cayenne spice. I love adding beer to my chilli recipes, but you don’t have to if you aren’t a fan of the flavour. I used a nice Pumpkin Ale in this recipe, but you can use any light or amber ale. To be honest, you can’t really taste it that much in this recipe since there are so many spices. However, feel free to substitute chicken or vegetable stock if you choose. Also, because you can do this recipe in a slow cooker, it’s insanely simple. If you don’t have 6 hours, you can easily make this on the stove in a large pot. You just need to brown the turkey with the onions and garlic, then simmer with the rest of the ingredients on medium low for about an hour. Super versatile and delicious.
Ah, November. It’s a time where I find myself “getting real”. Summer is long gone, Thanksgiving is over (at least here in Canada), and the excitement of Halloween and candy everywhere is slowly fading like my sugar coma. I now start to pay attention to all those Christmas displays that have been slowly popping up since September. Now they are in full force – the holiday season is only a mere 52 days away you know. (more…)