Day 11: Quick Miso Soup

It may not be snowing outside, but it's definitely winter. I woke up in the dark to spend 3 hours in an unheated building getting cold to the bone. The only option was soup. I had to hold back from climbing into the bowl. Luckily it only took about 7 minutes from keys in the door to sitting at the table.  A quick dinner saves plenty of time for a hot bath and long nights sleep.

This might not be textbook miso soup but it's everything you want it to be. 

Quick Miso Soup

(single serving)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup water

1 teaspoon white miso paste

1 ounce silken tofu, cubed

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced

1 small head bok choy, quartered 

shredded carrots

1 green onion, sliced

dash soy sauce

red pepper flakes

drizzle toasted sesame oil

sprinkle sesame seeds

In a medium size pot, heat water and broth over medium heat. Stir in miso paste and add tofu and vegetables. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes until broth is just under boiling and vegetables are tender. Stir in soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Serve and drizzle sesame oil and sesame seeds. 

A Lesson in Ribollita

I got some quality mama time this weekend. Friday night at mom's apartment meant whiskey cocktails, good food, and an old movie. Bright and early Saturday morning, she treated me to breakfast at one of the many diamonds in the rough of Oakland, Homestead. 

Our simple order of pour over coffees, homemade toast with apple pear jam, and warm veggie strata topped with creme fraiche was absolutely delicious. 

Watching the baker pull her fresh bread and doughnuts out of the oven in the wide open kitchen made it all the more home-y. 

Chai twist doughnuts though...

And on the counter, all of the baby bread dough with bright futures. 

Tonight's dinner was a learning experience. First the win: olive oil + rosemary + lemon peel + garlic = better olive oil. I was licking the spoon. 

I am all about substitutions. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't work as well as you'd hoped. In this case, swiss chard stems weren't the best substitute for celery. The consistency seemed interchangeable, but the flavor was a bit intense. This Ribollita recipe should be followed as seen on Feasting at Home. 

Luckily, nothing is bad with a snow fall of parmesan, avocado and toasted bread...Drizzled with a healthy serving of finishing oil!

Gratitude journal entry: I am feeling so grateful for a sweet Sunday night at home. Oh, and the pumpkin spice coffee I get to look forward to in the morning ;)

SND ~ Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sunday night dinners have been an important ritual in my life since senior year of college. The tradition was first instituted when my long distance boyfriend would visit me in Chapel Hill, and my Sunday anxiety would creep up and take over in the hours before he had to drive back to DC. I needed a little Sunday somethin' to look forward to. Up until this point, cooking was not something I took seriously. (I could throw a rock from my living room door and hit Panera, so cooking was not necessary). 
Image of said college house below for reference.

I still remember the first meal I made: Ina Garten's Herbed goat cheese stuffed chicken. After a few dinners, I got hooked. I started spending tons of my free time on Google Reader, watching Barefoot Contessa, and planning for the next one. 

Yadda, yadda, yadda... I have a four year old cooking blog. 

So, bringing us back to this Sunday Night Dinner. My roommate, Lauren treated me and our friends Peter and Caroline to a big crock pot full of chicken tortilla soup. It's important to ease yourself back into the hamster wheel. Friends and tortilla chips help. (*Image cred: Skinny Taste). 

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can corn
1 small white onion, diced
1-2 tbsp chili pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Toppings:
grated cheese
avocado
Greek yogurt
hot sauce
cilantro
tortilla chips

Throw in all ingredients above into your crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 (check if chicken is cooked through before shredding, as different crock pots cook at different speeds). Once chicken is cooked through, pull out breasts and shred with a fork. Place chicken back in the crock pot and keep on "warm" until ready to serve. Serve with any or all of the suggested toppings above. 

Roasted Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Turmeric & Curry

It has been an uncharacteristically warm November in San Francisco. Sunny, 60’s… I’m not complaining, but it won’t hold me back from making soup. In these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I try to sneak in my veggie-full meals while I can. If Thanksgiving was one meal on one day, that’d be one thing. But let’s face it, you’re facing a Thanksgiving pot-luck at work, Friendsgiving (I can’t wait for ours!), Thanksgiving day + leftovers. It’s a marathon, people. Condition accordingly.

This happens to be one of the most budget-friendly soups, too. The two main ingredients together might cost you $2. And do you see that color?? Lots of vitamin c bang for that buck. Recipe sourced from Love & Lemons.

Roasted Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup with Turmeric & Curry

6-8 big carrot sticks, diced
1 large sweet potato, or 2 small, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion or leak, diced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons turmeric, ground
2 teaspoons madras curry powder
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
4 cups veggie stock plus 2 cups water
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Greek yogurt
Shaved Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and roughly chop the carrots and sweet potatoes and place on a baking sheet.  Toss everything with a drizzle of olive oil, and a good amount of salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until everything is golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a bit of oil over low heat, add the chopped onion and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add the turmeric, curry, and grated ginger and heat just until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the water and stock, and bring to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce to a low simmer.

Add all of the roasted veggies to the pot. Leave the pot uncovered and turn the heat off. Allow it to cool for a bit and then puree in a high speed blender.

Taste and adjust, I added a bit more salt, pepper, and a few pinches of cayenne and apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle with parmesan, top with yogurt and serve with bread.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple, Balsamic & Parmesan

I deeply appreciate how much Trader Joe’s embraces pumpkin. They sneak it into everything. A long time favorite of mine is the pumpkin soup.

There are endless possibilities for this pumpkin soup: stir into oatmeal, mix into pasta or quinoa, eat by itself with chunks of blue cheese on top. My most recent combination made for a fall-tastic lunch. Stir in a pinch of nutmeg, cayenne and curry powder, add chopped apple, balsamic and Parmesan then microwave for 2-3 minutes. Serve with some chopped veggies and pumpkin and cranberry pita chips (another TJ specialty).

A big bowl of this pumpkin soup goes really well with a college football game, a cozy sweater, a steaming cup of apple cider – or any of your favorite fall activities.

Pumpkin Soup with Apple, Balsamic & Parmesan
(1 serving)

1 cup TJ’s pumpkin soup
pinch cayenne, nutmeg, curry powder, tumeric
1/2 Honey Crisp apple, diced
1 tablespoon Parmesan, shaved
drizzle balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Pour soup into a shallow bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Stir in spices and top with remaining ingredients. Microwave 1 more minute, until hot.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Fresh Mint & Sourdough Croutons

My Sunday cooking extravaganza didn’t stop with strata muffins. I still had a big chunk of the whole wheat sourdough bread left to use, and what is more satisfying than dipping a chunk of crusty bread into soup? If you’ve never roasted your own red peppers, I suggest trying it. 450 for 45 minutes and you’ve got tender, charred veggies that beat the hell out of the soggy jarred version.

I know most of you out there are experiencing the sticky heat of summertime and this soup is a refreshing dinner to serve on the porch with a chilled glass of chardonnay. Or sitting in a sweatshirt at your kitchen table, in my case.

Especially if you’re serving overs…how impressive is chilled soup? Recipe inspired by Palate/Palette/Plate.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mint & Sourdough Croutons

Serves 2
2 red bell peppers, halved
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 ear sweet corn, kernels sliced off
2 tablespoons mint, chopped

2 slices sourdough bread, cubed into 1” pieces
drizzle olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Place bell peppers sliced-face down on a tin foil covered baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip over and roast for another 15-20 more minutes. Wrap peppers in tin foil and allow to cool before peeling off skin.

At same temperature, spread tomatoes, onion and garlic onto baking sheet and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes start to release their juices. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for mint and corn and blend until smooth. Adjust liquid to attain desired consistency. Stir in corn and chill for at least 1 hour or until chilled.

In a pan over medium low heat, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add bread cubes. Toast until golden and crunchy. Top soup with mint and croutons.

Foggy Day Chili & Two Cookies

Lazy Sundays are best enjoyed when it’s foggy outside. Once I got my grocery shopping out of the way, I felt entitled to lay on the couch all day watching Mystery Diners, briefly migrating to my bed to take an hour and a half nap. Somewhere in there I managed to find time to make a pot of chili. Being too lazy to commit to and follow a recipe, naturally, I relied on my instincts to create this batch. Tasting as you go is all it takes.

Seeing as how I tasted as I went, blindly grabbing spices, chopping up vegetables and pouring in liquids, this is more of a chili ingredient suggestion list than a real recipe. Everyone has taste buds – you can be your own chili connoisseur! Alanna came over to sit at my kitchen table and chat over big bowls of foggy day chili, reminding me not to sweat Monday until it’s Monday…make your Sunday nights count. Cheers!

Foggy Day Chili Suggestion List

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 spinach and fontina chicken sausage, diced
handful broccoli and carrot slaw
1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
garlic powder
chili powder (2+ tablespoons)
cinnamon
cayenne
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
avocado slices
Greek yogurt

In a large pot, sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper for a few minutes to soften. Add in remaining ingredients in sequence, stirring as you go and allowing to cook down briefly before adding next ingredient. Finally – taste, taste, taste. Add ingredients to adjust flavor as desired. Simmer away for 15-20 minutes. Top with avocado, cheese, Greek yogurt, tortilla chips, cilantro etc.

I saw this recipe on a blog earlier today and was too curious not to try it: Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Just right.

Wild Rice Soup with Vegetables & Chicken Sausage

I saw this meal as a benchmark in my culinary career, took the extra step. I made homemade vegetable stock for my soup! It’s a lot quicker and easier than I thought.

Toss a ton of vegetables in a pot, sauté for a bit, then dump some water in and cover for 30.

Then for the soup. There were a lot of vegetables harmed in the process of making this soup. And maybe a chicken. But their sacrifice was not in vain as it has resulted in a ton of leftovers, making my life really easy for the next few days.

Wild Rice with Vegetables & Chicken Sausage

1 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 spicy chicken sausage, diced
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 cup rainbow chard, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable stock (ideally homemade)
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
handful fresh parsley, diced
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

garnish: Greek yogurt, parmesan, green onion

Cook wild rice per instructions. In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté shallot, garlic and chickens sausage for a minute until aromatic. Add in mushrooms, broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, chard and carrots. Sautee while stirring for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften. Pour in crushed tomatoes and wine, stir 2 more minutes. Lastly, add in broth and seasonings. Simmer for 15-20 more minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

Spicy Asian Shrimp Soup with Glass Noodles

Well, I made it in to work today. The two other people in the office appreciated it, I’m sure. Unfortunately, I am afraid what I once thought were allergies are turning into flu-like symptoms and I spent most of the day freezing at my desk, sipping hot water and staring into space. It was then that I decided I needed soup, and my planned dinner of shrimp lettuce wraps would have to be converted into a hot, liquid version. You crave strange things when you don’t feel well. For instance, for lunch I had to have a sweet potato. I walked far and wide through the blustery streets of Chinatown to find one.

But it is the cheapest, healthiest and easiest homemade lunch around. ($0.40 sweet potato - microwaved for 5 minutes, free apple from work – chopped on top) All covered with cinnamon. Worth it.

One of my new year’s resolutions is to cook more Asian food. I must sound like a broken record: sweet potatoes, goat cheese, kale, quinoa, spinach, wahh wahh. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my staples and will continue to cook them, but it’s good to stretch yourself. So, I’m starting with this spicy shrimp soup.

I walked the 8 blocks to the cheap Asian vegetable market near my house, found all of the Asian ingredients foreign to my pantry, and walked back arms brimming with groceries – homeless people didn’t even ask me for change because it was clearly going to be more hassle than it’d be worth. But dang, it hit the SPOT. Spicy, warm (after the fever-like chills I had while preparing it) and flavorful.

Spicy Asian Shrimp Soup with Glass Noodles

1 bundle glass noodles
½ pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 small heads bok choy, leaves separated and halved lengthwise
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini but shiitake would be nice too)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
½ jalapeno, diced
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Juice of half a lime
1-2 teaspoons rice vinegar
salt and pepper
Handful cilantro, chopped

Soak glass noodles in warm water for about 15 minutes to soften. Wash and prep all ingredients before beginning to cook.  In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil and add shallot and garlic. Briefly cook until aromatic, and add mushrooms and bok choy. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until mushrooms start to soften and add ginger and jalapeno, followed by vegetable broth and water. Bring to a simmer and add shrimp and glass noodles. While shrimp cook, add fish sauce and lime juice. When shrimp are cooked through, drizzle with rice vinegar, salt, pepper and chopped cilantro.

Fresh Corn & Peach Soup

One week on the job under my belt and I am obsessed. I never thought I’d wake up on Saturday morning and be disappointed I wasn’t heading into work. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy my Saturday. I sniffed out the closest farmers market, which as you would expect, was fabulous.

Tempting baked goods, gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, mountains of flowers and a liege waffle TRUCK. Right next to a rotisserie chicken truck… chicken and waffles unite!

Somehow I resisted all of the food stands and made lunch: a goat cheese and caramelized onion quesadilla and fresh, fruity salad. Ingredients: spinach and mixed greens, half a diced peach, avocado, cucumber and cherry tomatoes topped with a vinaigrette of orange marmalade, olive oil, lemon, hot pepper sauce and honey.

What else would I do on relaxing days off but fill it with cooking? I researched a recipe for fresh corn soup, in hopes of recreating the delicious version I had at Foreign Cinema. I found this recipe on Whole Foods’ site that married my love for peaches and corn. It’s light, sweet and summery.

Fresh Corn & Peach Soup

Serves 3-4
3 ears sweet corn husked
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white miso paste (or a mixture of tomato paste and soy sauce)
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
pinch cayenne
1.5 large ripe peaches
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
6 basil leaves sliced
feta cheese

With a sharp, heavy knife, cut kernels from corn cobs and place cobs and kernels in a soup pot. Add broth, water, miso, onion, garlic and cayenne. Peel, pit and finely chop 1 of the peaches and add to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until corn and peaches are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Use tongs to remove and discard corn cobs; cool soup to room temperature. Puree half of soup in a blender and return to pot. Stir in almond milk. To serve soup hot, reheat gently over medium heat, stirring frequently; do not allow to boil. To serve cold, refrigerate until chilled.

Halve, pit and dice remaining peach; ladle soup into bowls and garnish with peach, feta and basil.

Vegetable Lentil Stew & Banana Fudge Pots

I’m not the biggest fan of Sundays. It’s important to fill them up with good things to sugarcoat the fact that the weekend is over. Tonight, Quin and I decided to plan a big healthy dinner with crusty bread, open one of our WSJ wine club bottles and watch The Help using the new DVD player we got at Target. Alas, the DVD player only played in black and white (that’s what we get for buying the cheapest one) so we opted for making a healthy-ish dessert instead- courtesy of Chocolate Covered Katie.

Vegetable Lentil Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 sweet potato (microwaved for 4 minutes) diced
1 cup peas
1 can diced tomatoes
3 14.5 ounce cans vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup French lentils
1/2 cup quinoa
mozzarella cheese

In a large pot over medium high heat, sauté onion, bell pepper for a minute or two. Add garlic, carrot and sweet potato and cook another couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then lower heat and cover for 20-25 minutes or until lentils and quinoa are cooked. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Banana Fudge Pots

1 banana, sliced thin
1 package firm tofu
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons nondairy milk
dash salt
2 tablespoons sweetener (agave, corn syrup, sugar)
Greek yogurt

Melt chocolate chips. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except Greek yogurt and blend until smooth. Layer banana slices on the bottom of 6 ramekins, then divide chocolate mixture into ramekins and chill until ready to serve. Top with Greek yogurt. 

Sweet Potato Stew

It was COLD, cold today. 18 degrees at one point! I better not have to get used to this. It’s a great excuse for stew, however. Healthy, sweet and savory stew. The ingredients in this are totally flexible, and can be swapped out with whatever you have around- carrots, butternut squash, spices.

That’s what I did! But taste, taste, taste to make sure it’s spiced just right.

Sweet Potato Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet potato, diced
1 apple (I used Fuji), diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste (or chili powder, or red pepper flakes- use less)
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings: toasted coconut, toasted pecans, feta cheese

In a large deep saucepan, sauté sweet potato, onion, and apple along with the spices in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Add the coconut milk and water/stock and let simmer until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes or so. Puree half the mixture in a food processor until smooth and add back into the pot. Do a final taste to make sure seasoning is good. Top with nuts, coconut, cilantro, cheese- whatever you want!

Butternut Squash Soup

I never make soup. But here I am, banging out two soups in two days. Maybe I’ve changed my tune. This soup happens to be for the Thanksgiving. I will be in the presence of great cooks tomorrow, so this soup had to be good to stand up to the rest of the meal. It’s velvety, subtly sweet, and comforting. I will warn you that it took a good chunk of time to peel and chop the apples, onion and squash – other than that, it’s super easy. *This recipe is adapted from the Good Housekeeping cookbook.

Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion
2 medium butternut squash-peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 medium Fuji apples--peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
14 ounces Vegetable broth
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup half and half

In a 4-quart saucepan heat oil. Add onion and cook till tender . Stir in squash, apples, broth, water, thyme salt/pepper. Heat to boiling over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring often until squash is very tender about 25 minutes.

Spoon third of squash mixture into blender puree until smooth. Repeat with rest of soup. If you like some chunky pieces in the soup, reserve some of the soup. 

Return puree to pot. Stir in half and half and heat through, but don't boil. Makes about 9 cups.

Black Bean & Lentil Soup

I woke up Monday morning with a fever, sore throat and pounding headache…Happy Thanksgiving! But for some reason, I have not lost my appetite. Sitting at home has just given me more time to look up new recipes. I’ve had cans of black beans and lentils sitting around that needs to get used. It’s a hearty recipe that’s good for rainy days or sick days, or both like today in my case! *Recipe from Have Your Cake & Eat It Too.

Black Bean & Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup lentils
1 can black beans, rinsed, drained and partially smashed
1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
(garnish)
plain Greek yogurt
cheddar cheese

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until soft. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and garlic; sauté just 1 minute. Add vegetable or chicken broth and tomato paste; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add red lentils and cook until tender (about 25 minutes). Add black beans, lime juice, salt, and black pepper; cook five minutes and add water as needed to avoid soup becoming too thick. Top with garnishes.

Greek-Style Tortellini Soup

I’m not going to say Day 1 without candy was easy, because it wasn’t. But I’m taking it one day at a time, like any 12 step program. I need to send a shout out to my mother for the delicious and easy dinner I made tonight. Anyone can make this recipe (and should make this recipe). Not to mention it could feed a family of 5. Cha-ching: leftovers.

Ingredients:

4 cups less-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

dash –or 2- of crushed red pepper flakes

9 oz package 3-cheese tortellini

1 cup diced roast chicken (I bought a roasted chicken to save time)

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered

1 6 oz package fresh baby spinach

plain yogurt

Combine first six ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add tortellini. Cook until just tender, then add remaining ingredients (except yogurt). Serve with a scoop of plain yogurt on top.
A side of beer and bread compliment it nicely.

Spicy, lemony, YUM.

Turkey Chili

Today was dedicated to recuperation, involving a lot of rest, television and comfort food. The comfort food of choice was chili because it made enough food to feed Evan’s roommates and I got to use my new pot I just ordered off Amazon This was by far my biggest accomplishment of the day. Thanks to a suggestion from my friend Gracie, a recipe index is in progress!!
 
I looked for a basic recipe online and found this one for turkey chili. The ingredients I used are:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 1 pound ground turkey
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
  
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
  
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper *I accidentally grabbed crushed red pepper instead, and it added a nice punch
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
   
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

We topped it with shredded sharp white cheddar, sour cream, green onions and tortilla chips. Tragically there are no leftovers, but I’ll take that as a good sign.