I feel kind of in limbo right now. Kids are back in school, but Fall isn’t here yet, and it’s still beastly hot outside. Fall is my favorite, if I haven’t mentioned that before. So the sensible, responsible adult Elissa is starting to lose the fight with the pumpkin-crazy, Fall-food and cooler weather obsessed, play-in-the-leaves Elissa (she is much stronger..).
Well to throw my crazy self a bone, and maybe to throw you fellow crazy Fall fanatics out there one too, I’m going to share with you Turkey Chili. Why? Because it’s close enough to enjoy this healthy version of a comfort food favorite, and football is already on. And, it’s easy.
I was rummaging through my freezer the other day and found ground turkey in there, frozen, sad, and alone. My husband, like most manly farm boy men, prefers beef, but after I threw this together he didn’t sneer so much. I’m not opposed to beef by any means, but what science concludes time after time again, is that VARIETY is the secret to health, and we just had beef. You want a little bit of this and a little bit of that to truly have balanced nutrition, and the more you expand your palette, the better off you are (which brings me back to why I hate elimination diets.)
Turkey Chili is hilarious, if you didn’t already know.
So without further ado, here is the recipe. It does have a bit of a kick to it, so if you are not a fan of spice you may want to cut down on the cumin, pepper, cayenne, and chili powder. Also, if your goal is to eat lean, know that all ground turkey is not equal. You need to search for lean, like 93% or leaner. Otherwise you could possibly end up eating more fat and calories than a package of leaner beef.
Turkey Chili (Serves about 5)
Prep and cook time : about 30-40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion (or 1 small), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1.5 lbs of lean ground turkey (My package was 1.25 lbs)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 14.5 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can no added salt diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen yellow corn or no added salt canned yellow corn
1 14.05 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 6 oz can tomato paste
Optional toppings: Sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapeno slices (if you dare..)
Directions:
1) Heat olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Sauté diced onion and green pepper in heated oil.
2) Add minced garlic and let cook for a couple of minutes.
3) Add ground turkey, breaking it up until fine, cooking with vegetables until browned.
4) Add spices and seasonings, stir well.
5) Add kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Stir well.
6) Let simmer over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.
7) Serve with desired toppings, and maybe with some corn bread. 🙂
Hopefully this will appease you Fall fanatic addicts for a few more weeks. Until next time!
Elissa
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