3 Bean Turkey Chili

I had a friend ask me on Facebook if I could share this recipe with her, and I automatically sent her here to my blog, and told her to search under 'turkey' or 'chili'.  Well, turns out, despite the fact that I've made this dozens of times, brought it to Chili Cookoffs, family cookouts, and football games, I somehow have never managed to get it blogged.  WEIRD!  Especially since this is one of my favorite dishes to cook, and one of my favorite fall dishes to eat.

Again this recipe was based off of something I came across on The Eat Clean Diet website, however I never truly followed the recipe, and it's definitely changed and evolved almost every single time that I've made a batch.  I always start with this base recipe that I'm providing here, and then depending on the occasion, or who I am feeding, I might spice it up, or change the toppings to suit the crowd.  What I particularly LOVE about this recipe is that it makes about 8 servings, so it's great to batch for a week, and it really only takes about 20 minutes of working prep time.  Super easy, suuuupppeeerrr yummy!

Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (with seeds if you want spice)
- 1 habenero, diced (with seeds for EXTRA heat, or leave this out entirely if you don't want it super spice)
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin Olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 15 oz. can Red Kidney beans
- 1 15 oz. can Pinto beans
- 1 15 oz. can Black bleans
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups tomato puree
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 tsp. smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt, divided

Directions:
FOOD PREP:
1.  Dice yellow onion, celery, jalapeno pepper, habenero pepper, and chop garlic.  Keep all ingredients separate.
2. Rinse Red Kidney, Pinto, and Black beans and let drain until needed.
COOKING:
3. Heat olive oil in 4-quart pot.  Add onion and garlic, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.
4. Add celery, jalabeno, and habenero pepper to pot.  Cook additional 4 minutes.
5. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper, smoke Paprika, cumin, and Red Pepper flakes to pot.  Mix spices in, and break up ground turkey.  Cook until almost all pieces are browned through, about 5-7 minutes.
6. Add tomato paste, tomato puree, chicken stock, and all three types of beans to pot. Stir.
7. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 45 minutes.
8.  Top each serving with a tablespoon of Greek yogurt and low-fat Cheddar cheese.

A couple things to discuss in preparing this dish.  If you like it spicy, keep all of your pepper seeds in, but be aware that when you're cutting peppers, the oils will linger on your hands if you don't make sure to wash them very well.  Therefore, every cut, hang nail, or cracked part of your hand will burn for hours if you're not careful with how you prep them.

Also, I put a separate section for 'food prep' because it is getting everything diced up and ready to go that makes this dish feel super easy to execute.  If you're trying to dice while cooking other ingredients, you'll feel like you running around your kitchen like a madman.  Do youself the favor, dice everything first, rinse your beans, and open all your cans.  You'll be shocked at how fast and easy this dish is when all you have to do is keep adding ingredients to the pot, and stirring.

This is an AWESOME fall dish, and no matter where I bring it, people are usually shocked that it's a healthy dish, because it tastes better than the average beef chili, and doesn't sit quite as heavy in your body.  If you're going to pick just one dish to try on this blog, honestly, this would be the one I suggest.  ENJOY!!

 <3 MARIA

Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

Your probably thinking to yourself, if you've read my past blogs, "Damn, this girl eats a large quantity of soups!" And, you would be correct.  I do this for a few different reasons, but the most important two are this: 1) You can fit all your protein and vegetables into one small bowl, in one sitting, and have it taste unbelievably yummy; 2) I cook for two, and I cook for days.  I would love to hang around everyday all day in the kitchen and cook, but I've got other things to do, as do you.

This soup sparked my interest while browsing cookbooks with Food Network on in the background, and Giada was introducing her meals for the show.  As I half paid attention, I was got increasingly excited when I saw red meat, and no potatoes.  I know this sounds weird, because I know that turkey and chicken are the healthier choice, but I like red meat, and I live with a man who also likes red meat.  Every once in a while, you want something that tastes huge, and flavorful, and rich.  And I'd rather eat this, than a double cheeseburger.  

I should add here, that I have no issue with potatoes.  Good carbs, are good carbs, as long as you eat them in moderation.  So I celebrated the lack of potatoes, and the substitution of beans, because I knew we'd have left overs, and I didn't want to be eating potatoes for three days straight.  Check out the webpage and give the recipe a try, especially if you have a guy in your house who like a nice meaty meal.  It's so delish! 

Beef and Cannellini Bean Minestrone

And, integrate more soups into your household.  If you have kids, or don't have kids, soups are a great way to plan meals over a couple days, and they make you feel so full and nourished.  

Oh the Black Bean Brownies

Yeah, it can be done, and still taste delicious.  Sometimes people say, "I'll diet, but if I'm going to eat a 'brownie', I'm going all in and eating a real brownie.  One that's chewy and gooey and worth the calories."  And this people, is how we break.  It's not that every once in a while we shouldn't allow ourselves to have that chewy gooey brownie, but every once and a while doesn't need to be every couple of weeks because we end up at social events that throw them at us.  

My food quest so far has been a constant battle in how to satiate the cravings for the things I'm used to, and replace them with alternatives that are healthier, and make me feel good.  Like I said before, I am admittedly a sugar-whore.  What I did not say, is that I am also a chocolate-whore.  That being said, I searched out this recipe because other people had tried them, said "Eh" things about them, and I wanted to judge them for myself.   So, I went to Oxygen Magazine, and searched them out.

How does the Black Bean Brownie hold up?

And the verdict is...DELICIOUSNESS!  I think that part of the reason people don't like these, is because they look like brownies, and they smell like brownies, but they don't exactly taste like brownies.  Every once in a while I think it's important for us to step back from our food and remind ourselves that we are SO conditioned when it comes to the way our food looks, and the way it tastes.  Don't think about it as, "Ew.  This doesn't taste like a 'brownie', I am never eating these again", and more of a, "Does this brownie fulfill it's purpose?  I ate because I was craving chocolate: check.  I also wanted sweetness: check.  I also don't want to feel like I gave up everything that falls into these two categories because I chose to live a healthy lifestyle: check."  

I followed the recipe, for the most part, to a tea.  I did exchange Stevia in place of the Sucanat which mildly changed the texture of the brownie (Sucanat cooks much like a brown sugar keeping in the moisture with a molasses), and in the future, I think I'll use a tad bit more applesauce, but other than that the recipe was a success.  My husband actually loved these, and everyday was so excited to pack his little brownie for a snack at work.  The whole time they were on the kitchen counter, it was like you felt guilty, but had nothing to feel guilty about, and that was fantastic!

AND...beans are a Superfood, so it's the best of both worlds! 

White Bean and Chicken Chili

This recipe was initially introduced to me by one of my besties, who is also an amazing cook, and who also loves the food network.  It was so great to find a different chili recipe than the Three Bean red chili that I had been making, although that remains my husband's favorite, and as soon as the weather changes to cool, it is the first  thing that he asks for in his meal rotation.  

I love Giada De Laurentiis despite her annoyingly perfect life, and her constant need to whisper, "There we go" whenever she adds an ingredient or mixes something.  Whether it's her Italian heritage, or her recipes that can be cleaned up and modified, I DVR every episode, and throw it on in the background whenever I'm doing tasks around the house.  So, imagine my excitement when I found out that this was one of her recipes!  

White Bean and Chicken Chili

The only ingredients that I changed was the AP flour to Whole Wheat flour, and instead of Swiss chard, I added kale (upon trying the one at my friends, I didn't want to change her recipe because it tasted so yummy).  

I also made a half batch of this recipe, thinking that 2lbs. of chicken was a bit absurd, but in retrospect, I wish I had just made the full batch because I would have like to have more for left-overs. 

Expand your chili horizons and try a new type of chili today!