Healthy Chicken/Turkey Chili

First off, I must say, I LOVE chili.  What better way to spend part of a cold, snowy day than making a big pot of chili.  In fact, I make sure to always have the makings for a pot of chili on hand.  But with all the information coming out lately regarding limiting your consumption of red meat, I have been in a quandary.  Recently I decided it needed to solve this issue once and for all!  So off to the kitchen I went with several packages of ground chicken and ground turkey.  I was determined to find a solution to my issue of using ground beef in my beloved chili.  This recipe is the result and I love it.  No longer do I have to decide if I have served red meat to often recently before I make a big ole steamy pot of spicy, mouth-wateringly delicious chili.

Chicken Or Turkey Chili

2 lbs. ground chicken or turkey (I use one of each)

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes, diced

1 can tomato sauce

1 can black low-fat refried beans (the refried beans will increase the thickness of the chili without the beans being obvious).

2 cans Rotel tomatoes and green chilies

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 T chili powder

2 t ground cumin

2 t smoky paprika

1/4 t cayenne

In a large stock pot, brown the onion and garlic in 1 T olive oil or coconut oil.  Add the ground chicken or turkey and continue browning.  Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and paprika.  Stir to combine.  Add the fire roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomatoes with green chilies, and the beans.  Continue cooking for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.  Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Serve with crusty bread, or peanut butter sandwiches.