WFDW Spicy Three Bean Turkey Chili on Polenta Cakes

I decided to make my chili again for when I knew I’d be down and out. I put all of the ingredients together in two containers, and froze them so it would be easy to throw together when I came back from California. So last week, I thawed the containers out, put them in the crockpot, and let ‘er rip for 8 hours on low. What transpired was amazing as always!

Chili is another favorite of mine for the fall! Chili, football, pumpkin spice everything, honey crisp apples, and sweatshirt weather make this girl very happy :-). I have had a few requests for my chili recipe, so i decided to go ahead and post it again. This time though, I added black beans and made polenta cakes to put it on! I like to add Fritos and cheese to my chili, so I thought it might be fun to try a little twist on the corn chip. I actually toasted some yellow corn tortillas to break apart and add to the chili, as well, That turned out really good! The polenta is simple to make, and I will tell you exactly how to do it below. Let’s get started!

Here is what you’ll need for the chili:

1.25lb package of 93/7% ground turkey

1 diced onion – personal preference – I used sweet yellow

1-2 tea EVOO

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chili hot beans

1-1.5 packets of McCormick Hot Chili Seasoning

1-2 TBSP chili powder

1-2 TBSP cumin

Heat a pan with a little bit of olive oil on medium heat, and sauté the onion for a few minutes until transparent. Add turkey, and cook until completely done. Optional step-soak up grease from turkey with several paper towels and throw away. (You can drain and rinse if you’d like, but I prefer to not risk clogging my sink. Plus, rinsing takes away some of the flavor.) Open all of the cans and pour each one into your crockpot (or you can just simmer on the stove for a few hours.) Add turkey and spices, then stir very well. Once it warms up, you can try it and see if it is spicy enough for you. If not, I suggest some cayenne pepper. Sometimes I add a little bit of dark chocolate powder (like 1 tea) to it. It sounds weird, but really gives it a nice hint of flavor. I don’t know how to explain it! Just don’t add too much!!! I cooked mine on low heat for 8 hours. I like the crockpot, because I can leave it alone and not be worried if I don’t stir it often enough. This chili gets better the longer it is stored in the fridge. It’s the kind that is awesome for leftovers for the week!

What you need for the polenta cakes:

1 cup polenta (I think you can find it near the corn meal and flour and such at the grocery store)

3 1/4 cups warm water

1-2 tea light butter

1 tea salt

In an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan, combine all of the ingredients, and stir together.

Place in oven at 350F for 50 minutes. Fluff polenta with a fork, then bake for an additional 10 minutes. After it is done, let it cool for a few minutes, and cut into 3×3’ or 4×4’ squares. Place polenta cake on a plate and top with chili. Sprinkle low fat cheddar cheese on top (optional.)