Salsa Verde and Queso Chili

I don't know about you guys, but I love me some chili. and by love I mean obsess. I always get excited when we stumble into a new restaurant and I see a crock of chili on their menu. Only one time have I ordered it somewhere and absolutely hated it. and man, that was a sad day in the life of one Maddie;) haha

Anyways, I make it at home a lot. One of my favorites is my Turkey Chickpea Chili, but sometimes I just have the urge to try something a tad bit different. I had the salsa and queso on hand from making a taco dip and just decided to throw that in. I often times make my own chili seasoning and taco seasoning( I got the recipes from pinterest) so you are welcome to use those, but for simplicity sake, I will just reference packets, which would probably be equivalent to 3/4 tbsp of homemade.

This was really hearty and I have gone out of my way to make it since then. Perfect on a "chilly" (haha yes, pun most definitely intended) night at home.

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 lb(s) ground meat( I prefer turkey or venison)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet chili seasoning
1 cup beer
1 cup queso
1 cup green salsa
1 small can diced tomatoes( chili flavored is best)
1 can black beans(drained)
1 can kidney beans(drained)

Brown the meat and drain, add half of each of the seasoning packets and pour in the beer, stirring to incorporate the seasonings and letting simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in the beans and tomatoes. Stirring again add in the salsa, queso and remaining seasonings. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes and then let simmer for about another half hour. 

Serve hot. I love to top mine with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Wiki loves to add cheese, sour cream and avocados. You can top it w/whatever your heart desires. You really can't go wrong.

And you can use any type of beans your prefer or omit them. You could use chicken stock(or even water) instead of beer. I just like the added dimension that the beer gives it and the alcohol cooks out, so the kiddies can still have some;) and I would think that you could brown the meat in the morning and then add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for a few hours:)

And now I am ravenous. Hungry girl problems.

Linking up with
Tell Me About It Tuesday

Turkey Chickpea Chili

This one is a really good twist on another chili I frequently make, white chicken chili. It is pretty healthy and extremely filling. It is also quite simple to make.

This has become my go to of sorts lately. I make a three meat and bean chili, I also make the chicken one. This is almost a combination of the two. One of my besties is a big proponent of this one. We have our regular Tuesday nite dinner parties that now have evolved into eat then watching Ringer parties. And by parties I mean the two of us and Miss Chloe. and Dobby. Also referenced as the beast and devil dog. These weekly dinners are special b/c I have to travel a rather long way to get there. I mean it's not the most convenient friendship. I have to cook the food and then walk out of my front door, walk the 15 ft to the end of my gate and then turn left and walk another 15 ft to hers. It gets really tiresome;)

Ingredients 
1 lb of ground turkey
1 can of chickpeas
1 large can diced tomatoes w/green peppers 
(you really can choose any flavor you prefer)
2 cups chicken broth
1 packet white chicken chili
1 packet cheesy taco 
1 bag corn(optional)

To Prepare
*brown the turkey
*once the turkey is almost browned, add HALF of EACH seasoning packet
stir into the meat and add 1/2 cup of the broth, making sure to dissolve all seasoning mix into meat, simmer for 3 minutes.
*drain chickpeas and add to pan, stirring to incorporate into turkey mixture
*drain some of the juice from the tomatoes and add, repeating above step.
*if you decide you want corn, now add that
*add the remaining seasoning packets and stir into chili. 
*Now add the remainder of the broth to your taste, I do around half a cup at a time and let it simmer for about 3-5 min to determine if it is as thick as I want or if I desire a more "soupy" mix.
*I then let it simmer for about 30-45.

I have browned the turkey and put that along w/the ingredients into the crockpot and let simmer on low for about 2/3 hrs also. it is good this way, just not my favorite. :)

T likes it brothy, I prefer it heartier. I think you can all decide for yourself exactly how you prefer it. 

*origin*
A few years back Panera had a Turkey chicpea chili. It was one of my favorites. This is my version of that. Mine is pretty different, the main similarities are turkey and chickpea. imagine that.