This recipe and post were created in partnership with Shuman Farms’ Real Sweet Vidalia Onions.

This Three Bean and Vidalia Onion Salad has to be one of my favorite salads to make when we are barbecuing over the summer.  It’s a classic salad that you probably have seen more than once on a salad bar – but homemade is so much better! Wow, can you taste the freshness. I love to add sweet Vidalia onions for extra flavor, especially when they are in season mid-April to early August.

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Click here to pin this Slow Cooker Chicken and Farro Chili recipe.

My obsession with farro continues. I’ve been adding farro to salads for a while now, but the last couple of months I’ve been adding it to soup, and more recently this Slow Cooker Chicken and Farro Chili. Farro is an incredible addition to any soup or chili because of it’s hearty texture. This chili includes chicken but if you wanted to make it vegetarian it would be just as great with extra beans and vegetable broth.

If you are getting hit with the cold weather and snow that I’m seeing everywhere on the news and social media, then you more than likely have soup on the brain right now. There’s nothing better than pulling out your slow cooker to let it do the work all day especially with pantry staples like Bush’s Chili Beans. Our Florida weather isn’t what you would call soup weather right now, but I am a soup girl all year ’round!

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I have a great Chipotle Chicken Chili recipe for you today. I love making chili and as often as I make it I tend to stick with my usual turkey chili recipe for most weeknight meals. This week I wanted to change things up and honestly, I wanted to specifically kick things up and make it spicier than usual. If you didn’t already know, I love spicy food and I really enjoy experimenting with different chili powders when I make chili. This Chipotle Chicken Chili is pretty simple to put together, but the flavor from the chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, Bush’s Chili Kidney Beans and my little secret ingredient is out of this world.

If you like a warm spicy flavor, then I think you will really dig this Chipotle Chicken Chili.

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Is everyone ready for a bit of a detox this week or what? I enjoyed every bite of my long holiday weekend but I am so ready to feed my body better and move it more this week, that’s for sure. Our Thanksgiving was full of delicious food (plus a few days after), and I don’t really feel like I over did it for the most part – except for in the dessert category. Whoa. I’m disturbed by the amount of pie that has been consumed in my house over the last few days. I don’t normally go crazy over sweets, but pie, I really do love pie. I had so many different kinds of pies tempting me this weekend…well, let’s say I’ve had enough pie for a while. No more pie please.

Let’s have soup instead. Lots of soup. I made this soup a couple of weeks ago when I was feeling under the weather and ate it for days. I stuck a little in the freezer and am so glad I did because it’s coming out this week to help me get back on track. Though, I could easily make another pot, it’s easy enough and all of it’s ingredients are staples and can be most likely be found in any kitchen.

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Fall and chili just go hand in hand together don’t they? I crave a good chili pretty much all year long, but something about fall just screams chili, especially when the nights start to cool down a bit (it’s finally starting to happen here in FL!). It’s perfect to put together for nights when you have family and friends in your home with fall activities planned like pumpkin carving, watching football (or basketball) and even as a pre-trick-or-treating meal.

Halloween 2012

I’ve made this “red” version of chicken chili a few times in the last few months already, and each time I’ve made (and shared) it with my family it’s received rave reviews. I always think of white based chili recipes when I think of adding chicken to chili, but I decided to go traditionally red this time but keeping things light and lean by adding whole chicken breasts to it while cooking, making it easy to shred up later on. My chili is usually based on the same formula – lean protein, lots of veggies and lots of beans – and of course perfectly seasoned with chili powder, garlic and cumin. Chili fixins’ are also essential in my opinion – I love to have a variety of chopped cilantro, regular or green onion, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), shredded cheddar and some hot sauce for those of us seeking some extra kick.

With our new little guy now here, my mom has been spending a lot of time at our house helping out with the kids and such (lifesaver, so thankful). Her next visit will be this Thursday for Halloween and I’m already planning on fixing up a nice pot of this chili for all of us to have for an easy dinner before we hit the neighborhood for trick-or-treating with the kids. My family didn’t make a lot of chili (ever) growing up so when she tried this Red Chicken and Two-Bean Chili recipe last month when she was here she loved it. I’m excited to make this for her again – I know she’ll enjoy it for sure. Now, if the weather will just stay cool for us this Halloween…

Halloween 2011

Now this guy, this guy makes my heart throb. 😉

Speaking of Halloween…do you dress up? I was never a huge Halloween person as an adult, until I had kids. Now I find myself rummaging through my closet on the day of and putting together whatever crazy get up I can find. My kids think it’s funny – or maybe a little weird actually. Since my husband is the Halloween lover of the two of us, we have a nice collection of interesting wigs and costume accessories and pieces that have accumulated over the 12 years we’ve been together. This year might be a challenge for me…considering most of our stuff is still unorganized or packed up in boxes from our move. I should probably start digging around and thinking of something now… 😉

Dig in and enjoy.

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Somehow, I’ve avoided the “winter blues” this year. I know a lot of it has to do with the truly beautiful weather we’ve been getting here in Florida, a blue sky and bright sun never hurt anyone that’s for sure.  I’ve been staying active, getting my workouts in, as well as spending the month of January really getting my house in order…lots of decluttering, deep cleaning and freshening up. I’ve kept myself so busy that I haven’t really had time to settle into that funk that I tend to settle into after the holidays.

I think what I’ve been eating and cooking has also played into it too. Lately I’ve been finding myself cooking up a huge pot of soup or chili on Sunday or Monday, and having it for dinner and lunches throughout the week. When I think of soup or chili, I think of big bowls of comfort, especially during the cooler months. Once it’s cooked up, it can last for days as leftovers and right now, for me, that’s a really good thing.

When I make soup, it’s all about nutrition. I try to pack in as many vegetables, beans and sometimes lean protein as possible. I don’t like to feel gross after eating soup or chili, I like to feel good. This Two-Bean Turkey and Vegetable Chili makes me feel good. It truly hits the spot when you don’t have time to make lunch or you need a dinner that pulls a double duty. I enjoyed this chili as is for days, but my husband and kids loved it over whole wheat macaroni. However it’s eaten, I know you’ll enjoy it.

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Bush’s Two-Bean Turkey and Vegetable Chili

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Ground Turkey
• Method: Stove

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Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 bell peppers (any color), chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• big pinch salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 15 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can Bush’s Red Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 can Bush’s Pinto Beans, drained
• 3 cans of water (I use tomato cans to use all the leftover flavor)

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Instructions

1. In a large heavy bottomed soup pot, cook ground turkey and onion until browned. Add carrots, bell peppers and seasonings and cook for 5-8 minutes until veggies are softened. Add tomatoes, beans and water to pot. Bring to a slow boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes until chili starts to thicken. Taste for salt and pepper, most likely it will need salt. Adjust to taste.

**Stay tuned for the Bush’s Beans Winter Comfort Foods Virtual Recipe Exchange and Linkup hosted here and on Real Mom Kitchen on February 4th. You’ll have a chance to link up your favorite Winter Comfort Food recipes that include beans for a chance to win a pretty nice giveaway (that may or may not include a big and pretty heavy pot 😉 ). Get your recipes ready!!

(I am in a paid partnership with Bush’s Beans. All opinions are my own)

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My family and I just got back from spending a glorious week at the beach. We rented a place in Sanibel Island, a tiny little piece of land surrounded by water off the coast of southwest Florida.

Paradise I call it.

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So yes I know it’s summer and I’m posting about soup. It just doesn’t seem right does it? But after being away from home for almost a week (and after eating lots of good food and drinking lots of good wine and of course let’s not forget the not so good stuff that goes along with travel), all I wanted when I got home was a big comforting bowl of vegetable soup.

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably have heard me mention “detox soup” quite often. This soup would definitely fall in the detox soup category. It’s one of those soups that is nothing but good for you, full of clean veggies and protein and if you are feeling a little “off” will get you back on track in no time.
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