Black Eyed Pea Chili

New Year's is filled with traditions, from the kiss at midnight, to the ball drop, to resolutions, to eating things for good luck.  If you take a step back, all of this might look silly, but it's what makes us human and brings us all together.  I love every holiday because I love to celebrate with friends, family and food.  It's the little things in life that put a smile on your face.  The holidays may never be perfect, but they are always perfectly unique.

Growing up we did the basic things for the holidays, like fireworks for the Fourth of July, costumes for Halloween and presents for Christmas, but I always wanted to really get into the holidays, so as I got older I was in charge of making sure I got the experiences I wanted.  Now as an adult I am thinking up ways to achieve my dreams of the perfectly magical holiday every time one comes around.

This year, it's indulging in the traditions of my surroundings.  Since I'm spending New Year's in Texas, we decided to eat black eyed peas for the supposed good luck they bring.  Hey, it couldn't hurt right?  The only other food traditions I knew of before this was ham for dinner and eating 12 grapes at midnight, one on each of the chimes of the clock (thanks high school Spanish class).  And since chili is a southern favorite and really just an all around delicious food, we went with Black Eyed Pea Chili for lunch the first day in 2013.

Black Eyed Pea Chili

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 pound Lean Ground Turkey
1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
1 Tbsp of Chili Powder
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1 15 oz can of Black Eyed Peas, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can of Tomatoes w/ Green Chilies with juice
1/4 cup of Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sour Cream for topping
Cilantro for topping

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  


Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more.  

Add turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.  

Stir in jalapeno, chili powder, and cumin.  Cook 1 minute more.

Add black eyed peas, tomatoes and chicken broth.  

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro.