Turkey Bean Soup

So I'm trying to keep up with the meals/recipes I've been making.  There are a few that I haven't written about, but instead of putting the new stuff at the back of the list, I'll just try to get to those when I can.  Otherwise my list will get very long and I will forget what I did!

Tonight I made Turkey Bean Soup.  It came out pretty good, but it was a bit on the bland side.  Which doesn't bother me so much, I'm usually grabbing something to eat as I'm moving around the house (or this evening...while I was walking James to the park), but Tim likes things with more flavor.  So I'll have to figure out how to spice this one up a bit.

Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup dried kidney beans
• 1 cup dried garbanzo beans
• 8 cups water
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 7 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Follow directions on package to soak the beans (I did the quick soak method, rapid boil for 2 minutes then sit for 1 hour).
2. In a large pot, cook the turkey, onion, and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
3. Add the water & bouillon cubes, stir & let simmer for a minute for the cubes to dissolve.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until heated through and beans and carrots are tender.

Original recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Turkey-Bean-Soup/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Notes:

~ Soaking the beans ahead of time (i.e. overnight) is a better idea, but of course I was looking for something last minute and didn't leave myself enough time.  Or, you can do what the original recipe called for, and use canned kidney beans & frozen lima beans.  :-)

~ Next time I make this, I will use more onion.  The original recipe called for 1 cup of onion, but I didn't feel like measuring it, but I think I should have put more in.

~ I originally added 6 cups of water and 3 bouillon cubes to the turkey/onion/celery mixture, but as I added the other ingredients it didn't seem like it would be enough liquid, so I added an additional 2 cups water and another bouillon cube.  At the time I was planning to add some sweet potato also, but later decided against it, and when it finished cooking I wished I had left it at 6 cups of water.  But then, after serving some for dinner and setting some aside for Tim's lunch tomorrow, I think it wasn't too bad after all.  So I think next time I'll try 7 cups of water.  Yeah, kinda wishy washy, I know.  :-)

~ I didn't want the soup to be too spicy, so I originally added only 4 T of the green chilies (1/2 can).  But after tasting it at dinner, I added the rest of the can before putting the leftovers away.

~ Next time I will definitely increase the spices, I'm just not sure if I will go to 2 teaspoons each or all the way up to a whole tablespoon.  We'll have to see when the time comes.

~ I don't know if I will increase the salt, it seemed plenty salty enough for me, but I forgot to ask Tim what he thought about that.

All in all, I did like it, and I think with a few tweaks it will be really yummy.  I do plan to make it again.  But next time I will plan to make some biscuits or corn bread or something to go with it as well.