Loki's Super Tasty Turkey Chili

I felt like utter crap last night, plus I wanted to play Dragon Age 2.  So, cooking was put on the back burner (heh).  Instead I'll write about an awesome slow cooker recipe that I found on Loki's Kitchen.  I know her in real life, and she recommended it to me when I mentioned wanting to use my slow cooker for things other than making mulled wine once during the holidays.  I got my slow cooker as a wedding present years ago and have only used it a handful of times.  Several of my friends have praised the virtues of the slow cooker and I think they're right.  So far, I've only used it on weekends since there is nothing on earth that could motivate me to get up even earlier on a work day.  Morning and I are not friends. 

This recipe looked so good (and idiot proof) that I served it to friends without trying it by myself first.  Usually, I don't experiment on people.  But, I did this time and they really liked it!  I used my own combination of spices, as most people do when they make chili.  I also added extra cheese because, well, cheese.  One of my friends likes food so spicy that it would sear the tastebuds off a normal person, so I let him have some sri racha sauce on the side.  :P

The combination of beans works really well here.  In past chilis, I've used mainly dark and light kidney beans, so this was a nice change.  Plus, turkey is healthier than ground beef. Not that it matters, since I glorped on some sour cream and added a ton of tasty, tasty cheddar.  I bought the super nice aged Irish cheddar and it was gooood. Browning the turkey added a little more active time, but it was definitely worth it to make the chili have a more complex flavor.  I really like slow cooker recipes because sometimes I don't want a lot of active time to have a good meal.  It's great to be able to throw a bunch of things in the slow cooker and ignore them for several hours, and then just dish it up at dinnertime. 

Three Bean Turkey Chili
From Loki's Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, chopped (I used a bitey white onion instead of the usual Spanish onion, I thought it worked well)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 can green chilis
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp chili powder (I used 2 Tbsp Penzeys medium hot and 2 Tbsp Ancho)
2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used only 1 because I was serving friends this dish for the first time.  Next time, I'll add the full 2 tsp).
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
I topped the chili with sour cream, chopped scallions, and cheddar cheese.  

Method:
1) Brown the turkey and onion until the turkey is no longer pink.  (~ 5 min).
2) Toss everything into the slow cooker.  Mix well.
3) Cook on high for 6-8 hours or low for 8+ plus another hour on high. (I cooked it on high for 8 hrs).
4) Serve!