Yes, We Can: Delicious and Healthy Turkey Chili

Tuesday begins a new era for us all. Yes, it's "just" a new president, but so many have such great expectations. All of us should hope and pray that President Obama succeeds. We need some good news!

Rumor has it that one of President-elect Obama's favorite foods is chili. While I haven't tried his personal recipe (which is apparently readily available on the Internet), we had this for dinner tonight in anticipation of a much-anticipated Inauguration.

(Skip the Fritos and grated cheese on top and this is a healthy, hearty and delicious meal.)

By the way, here's my traditional chili recipe. Not very different from this one...

Quick Turkey Chili
From Southern Living.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (Substitute tomato sauce if you don't want chunks of tomato in the finished product.)
1 (16-oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I like lots of beans in my chili, so I used two cans.)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beer (or 1 cup additional chicken broth)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauté chopped onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender; add garlic, and sauté 1 minute.

Add turkey, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring often, 8 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and next 5 ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Food/Wine Pairing: Here is an occasion when the perfect match is not a contrast, but a clone. The tomatoes and sauteed onions (and even the mildness of the turkey) bring a sweetness to the bowl...but there's a lingering spicy heat on the back of your palate with each spoonful. Zinfandel is a wine that does the exact same thing. A glass of Ravenswood Vinters Blend Zinfandel was a home run with this one....