Moroccan Chili

You're probably thinking, what is Moroccan chili? This is my recipe for turkey chili with warm spices, mixed beans, and a sweet bite of dried cranberries. Yes, they really go together nicely, after all, at Thanksgiving we have turkey with cranberry sauce. The two play nicely in this chili, that's low fat and low in WW points.

There are four common spices every Moroccan kitchen must-have in order to prepare meats and vegetable tagines. Salt, pepper, ginger, and turmeric. These ground spices are staples for Moroccan kitchens and are in my kitchen also. In my freezer, you can find fresh ginger and fresh tumeric that I grate into my soups and stews. Both are great anti-inflammatories and have wonderful health benefits.

Other spices are paprika, cinnamon, and if you have a generous budget, saffron. Saffron does not live in my kitchen, sadly to say, so I substitute all the spices with McCormick Moroccan Seasoning. All the mentioned spices are blended in this one little jar.

This is the spice mix that we've used in my chic pea curry recipe and all my curry recipes. It's found in all supermarkets and can be ordered online also. This is a staple in my kitchen and has a long shelf life.

Cinnamon has two spots on my spice rack, I have ground cinnamon and whole cinnamon sticks. Besides looking adorable in a cup of cider, the whole cinnamon stick is great to put into a stew and removed before serving. People will say, "the taste is familiar, what is it? It brings such a nice warmth to the dish." This will be our secret!

Let's get cooking you will need: Cook time: 2 hrs

1 package 97% ground turkey (or low-fat ground turkey)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion chopped

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 can white cannellini beans

1 can dark kidney beans

1 can chic peans

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tsp McCormick Moroccan Seasoning

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground fresh ginger

1 tbsp ground fresh turmeric

2 cans Hunt's Fire Roasted tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock

1 package (out of casing) turkey sausage

Grated cheese for garnish

In a heavy stockpot, cook the onions and celery in 1 tbsp. of olive oil until they are softened. Add the ground turkey and the turkey sausage (out of casing) to the pot. Stir and cook until the turkey starts to brown. At this point, you need to "bloom your spices". Don't freak, this is easy, it just means to cook your spices in oil until you can smell them. (don't burn them) In a small saucepan, add the other tbsp of olive oil and all your dry spices. (not your freshly ground spices). Once bloomed, add them to the stockpot and stir to incorporate. Add the chicken stock, beans (drained and rinsed), and fresh ground spices to the pot.

This is a low and slow cook on this chili. Your goal is to have a low flame under the chili and stir it every 15-20 minutes so it doesn't stick. The dried cranberries are added after the first hour of cooking. The cranberries will plump up and take on the wonderful spices.

If you want, you can use ground beef or ground lamb instead of low-fat ground turkey. Should you choose to use either of these two, make sure you tell your cardiologist I suggested low fat ground turkey!

I topped my chili with grated cheddar cheese and fresh parsley. You can top this with anything you like. Suggestions would be sour cream, cheese, chopped tomatoes, or additional dried cranberries.

"eefoolkee" is used for food/meals and just about everything else...from people to the country of Morocco. This means a good/beautiful meal. I leave you with good and beautiful eats!

Enjoy!!