Heat the vegetable oil in pot over medium high heat. Saute the onion 4 to 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne and saute an additional 2 minutes, stirring well to combine. Add the tomatoes and the juices, crushing the whole tomatoes gently with a wooden spoon.
Drain the beans into a strainer and rinse. Add the beans and the water and bring to a boil. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (feel free to adjust those proportions according to your tastes). Reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from the heat, stir in the turkey and let sit, covered, for several minutes to heat through. Stir in the cilantro and season with additional salt and pepper if you like.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
• Garnish with diced avocados, sour cream, shredded cheddar, or crushed tortilla chips (or any combination of these four toppings).
• If you happen to be making this at a non-Thanksgiving time of year (i.e. you don’t have gobs of roast turkey sitting around) you can substitute ground turkey. Just add in about 1 pound of raw ground turkey to the recipe after the onion, garlic, and spices. Saute until it turns white (about 3-4 minutes) then proceed with the recipe as written.
• You can substitute the roasted turkey for roasted chicken.
• Feel free to eliminate the turkey all together for a vegan 3-bean chili (equally delicious!).
