Mexican Turkey Stew

I made this up last night for my kids and one of their friends, and they all loved it... they even asked for seconds! It's a fairly thick stew, definitely something you could eat with a fork, so if your kids like something closer to soup, this may not be for them.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (or use roasted turkey cut into small pieces, about 2 cups)

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles

1 cup corn

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1. In large sauce pan, brown the turkey and break it into little chunks as it cooks. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add oil and saute onions until soft. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Put turkey back in pot and add tomatoes, black beans, corn, green chilis and spices.
4. Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with corn bread on the side and grated cheese on top. (Some of us also added some Hot Giardiniera and it tasted wonderful).

Mexican Chili with Pasta

I cut this recipe out of the Tribune recently and we all really liked it. Meriel's initial reaction when she saw it was "GROSS!" But she went back for seconds, so I hope she's learning not to make assumptions based on how something looks. I modified the original recipe a bit by adding more pasta and making it less spicy.

1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 can (15 1/2 oz) chili beans (don't drain)

1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 cups pasta (rotini, shells, macaroni, etc.)

1 1/2 cups graded cheddar cheese

1. Cook the ground beef or turkey in a medium sauce pan, stirring to crumble, until no longer pink and starting to brown. Drain. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
2. Stir in chili beans, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Add pasta to mixture and stir so that the pasta gets covered with liquid. Cover. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done, usually 8-10 minutes.
4. Serve in bowls with grated cheese on top.