1 Medium to large onion (yellow or white), diced very fine
4-6 Cloves of garlic, minced fine
1 Green pepper, small dice
1 Poblano pepper, small dice
1 Serrano pepper, small dice
1 Jalapeno pepper, small dice
2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1-teaspoon cumin
½ to 1-teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 large cans of fire roasted tomatoes, whole (if you can find fire roasted get regular, not seasoned canned tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce or juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound of ground turkey

Don’t be afraid to use a food processor/ mini chopper for the onions, garlic and peppers.

So this chili is all about texture. Start this off like any normal chili, on medium to high heat throw the ground turkey into a large enough pot. You must stir the meat constantly. You want the meat to be all broken up. Gradually stir in the fresh garlic, onions, all the peppers, the chili powder, onion and garlic powder, the cumin, salt and pepper, cilantro and the limejuice. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, then add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth. You want the texture of the tomatoes to be sort of torn up, so what I do is squish them into the pot with my hands. Do that, then cook for about 5 minutes covered, then add the other cup of the chicken stock/broth. Cook for another 5 minutes, and then add the tomato sauce/ juice. Finally, put in the beans; turn down to a simmer and let cook for at least 1 hour. You may need to add more salt or heat (you can add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce). Do this to taste, then finally…. ENJOY with some crusty bread, or a tamale, or my favorite, elbow macaroni! A sharp cheddar pairs well as far as a choice of cheese! Never put sour cream on this chili.

So when I make herb butter, I like to use unsalted butter.  What I do is melt it down at a low temp so it doesn’t burn.  I then skim the top to get all of the by products that float to the top.  I usually have to go in a few times.  Now you technically have clarified butter.  I turn the heat off then add my herbs.  I then put the melted butter and herbs in to a container that has a lid, but at this time, we will not put the lid on.  I stick it into the fridge and wait for it to get almost solid again, and then mix it so all of the herbs are not settled at the bottom.  Now you can put the top on anstore in fridge for up to a week. Below are some combinations of herb butters that you can make with some of the seasonal herbs.

Cilantro Herb Butter:

1 stick of unsalted butter

¼ cup cilantro, minced

¼ teaspoon lemon or lime zest

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

This butter would be great on fish!

Garlic Herb Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons minced Italian parsley leaves
½ tablespoon minced tarragon leaves
1 tablespoons minced basil leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ freshly ground pepper

This butter would be great on some crusty toasted bread, or on corn on the cob, or over any sort of pasta.  Be creative! 

Chive Butter:

1 stick unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

This combo is great on potatoes, or a steak, or on some crusty bread!  Mmmm…

How wonderful does that sound!  Not to mention, this is a super easy dish to prepare.  If you are able to use a grill, take a moment to go fire it up.  If you don’t have the pleasure of using a grill, hopefully you have a George Foreman grill or a stovetop griddle.   If you don’t have either of those, GO GET ONE!  You can do this in a pan, but we are looking for the sear marks, and you just can’t get those in a pan.  Read on….
 

What you’ll need:

4 pieces of boneless chicken breast
*If you get those enormous ones, just use 2.  Be sure the thickness of the chicken is equal.  If it is not, either butterfly it, or if you don’t have mad knife skill like I do; beat down the thicker side with a mallet.*
Juice of 3 limes
¼ cup cilantro
3 cloves of garlic (fresh if possible) minced very fine.
*You can use a grater to get the desired consistency.*
1 shallot minced (you can substitute an onion, about 1 heaping tablespoon)
¼ cup olive oil
Salt/Pepper

In a flat pan, lay out your chicken.  In a separate bowl, mix limejuice, olive oil, garlic, onion and cilantro, with a pinch of salt and 3-4 cranks of pepper.  Salt and pepper your chicken, then take half 2/3 of that mixture and add it to the chicken.  Cover chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, but no longer than 30.  In the mean time, take the rest of your mixture, put it in a saucepan and let simmer at a low heat.  DON’T BURN THE GARLIC.  If there is not a lot of marinade left add a little chicken stock or a little white wine.  After the chicken is grilled, plate it up and pour the remainder of the cooked marinade over the chicken. 

A nice simple green salad would go perfect with this.  I love arugula with some cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese with a simple oil and vinegar dressing.  For a starch, you can make some couscous cooked in chicken stock and add some green peas.  This one is healthy, easy and guaranteed to make someone happy!