This recipe earned its name by the combination of black and white beans. I created it while facing yet another cold and windy Chicago night.
It warmed me to my soul and I hope it will warm you. Enjoy!
You'll Need:
1 Package Jenny-O Lean Turkey Breast Tenderloin
2 Cans Cannellini Beans, 15.5 ounces
1 Can Black Beans, 15 ounces
2 tbsp Olive Oil
15 ounces Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Water
1 Onion (I prefer yellow or sweet onion)
Fresh Spinach (about a handful, rinsed)
Crushed Garlic
Pickled Diced Jalapenos in Glass Jar
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
2 Packets Nectresse (Sugar Alternative by Splenda) **I received this complimentary within a Voxbox from Influenster**
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Salt
Cilantro (Fresh if you have it but dried will do) for Garnish
Queso Fresco for Garnish or Sour Cream
Directions:
Season turkey breasts with salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I would rather use less seasoning here, rather than more, as you can always add more seasoning to the pot later. BUT: Be sure to coat both sides.
Place a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet and put the tenderloins in the pan. Cook over medium to medium-high heat with about 1 Tbsp of crushed garlic until lightly brown on both sides. Do make sure to keep a close eye on the turkey, since light-brown can quickly become charred when you're distracted...especially if you're facebooking or tweeting...or doing both...you can pretty much burn water if you're distracted enough...
When the turkey breasts are done, simply set them aside until they are cool enough to shred. Then shred them. Add them to the pot when they are shredded.
Moving on...
While the breasts are cooking/cooling, drain and rinse the cannellini beans. I find that using a colander actually speeds up this process. Bonus: you can just toss in the black beans on top. Just make sure to rinse, rinse, rinse.
The beans should look like...well...beans. Not globs of anything. The water should run clear. When it does, its time to toss them all into the crock-pot.
Dice the onion. If you aren't a fan of onion, aim for a fine dice or mince-basically: itsy bitsy pieces. If you or your guests like onion: try to cut the onion to about the size of the beans.
Add in the jalapeno. The amount is really about your heat preference. If you like it hot: add more. Not so much spice? Add a tiny bit for flavor. I added about 1/4 cup for the entire pot because one of our family members can't handle spice...it gave a nice flavor without too much kick.
Roughly chop about 1/4 of a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add those to the pot. Sun-dried tomatoes are going to add a chewy texture to the chili so make sure that the pieces are bite-size. Some jars are julienne-style...you don't want long stragglers ending up in the chili.
Add the fresh spinach leaves to the chili.
Add the following seasonings to your chili:
1 Tbsp tomato paste/catsup (if you don't have tomato paste)
2 Packets of Nectresse by Splenda *this is my secret little ingredient. .......the sugar actually helps accentuate all of the other ingredients but the kicker here? 0 calories per serving is added! *
4 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
***If using dried Cilantro add it in now***
Add the liquids (the broth, water, and 2 Tbsp olive oil) to your chili mixture.
Stir so that the ingredients are evenly distributed and it looks delicious.
Cover and set to HIGH. Cook for 2-3 hours. Serve with corn bread, queso fresco or sour cream and enjoy!
