Perfect Timing! A Crock full of Turkey Chili in time for more Snow!



This morning I woke up to barely enough snow to make the news.  For some reason any amount of snow makes the top story these days, which perplexes me because I live in the North East, minutes from Philadelphia. Doesn't this just come with the territory?  No matter how much we get, or how hard it hits, I love snow.  In fact, I love almost any of the distinct characteristics of  the different seasons in my climate, it mimics life. Everytime the new season approaches there is a smell that brings me back to the home where I grew up.  I would always run out to the back fence, tangled with morning glories in the spring, and covered with the knotted dead vines in winter.  I would close my eyes and smell the change in the air.
  The white powder seems to quiet an otherwise very busy landscape and gives way to some stolen moments wrapped in a blanket with a hot cup of something under my nose to take in and close my eyes yet again.
 


The weather confirmed I had made the right decision to get to work on a rendition of Lean & Clean Turkey Chili which I decided to do in the slow cooker as 97% lean ground turkey is the ideal candidate for a super slow simmer.  Its also Friday and the day before my birthday so probably a good idea to get cooking before a busy weekend full of who knows what is underway!  I must also note that when I am working with peppers I tend to not always take my own advice and things can get pretty painful, my ever so patient husband was out for the evening, so I took the time to embark on what is sometimes a painful endeavour.
This  recipe is a slow cooker recipe however you can also use the same ingredients and start and finish in a large stockpot and simmer on low for 3 hours as well, stirring occassionally.

For the Love of Tomatoes

At the heart of any Chili is of course the Tomato, and I would like to take a minute to really talk about this wonderful, versatile and delicious member of the fruit family.  I've learned a lot about this heavy hitter and think that its important to know a little about how this plump produce can benefit your health.
  As half of my family is Italian, its no surprise and yes, a bit cliche that the Tomato has always been a big staple in my diet since childhood.  First, just take a look at a bunch of plump vine ripe tomatoes:  bright, shiny red, and hanging from strong green vines that have little leaves that look like elf shoes, a truly aesthetic addition in the garden for certain!  What else does the Tomato have to offer besides its curvy, flashy exterior?  Let's start with antioxidants: accessible, affordable antioxidants like Vitamin C, and Caratenoids - definitely a more local addition to your menu than the fancy pants Acai or Goji Berries and a lot more recipe friendly for your family!  The MVP of these Caratenoids (think Beta Carotene) is Lycopene.  Lycopene is a super version of a Caratenoid and at the risk of getting a little scientific, the properties Lycopene is being researched to have are extremely positive.  Considered a potential cancer preventing agent, (especially prostate cancer) you will now notice alot of marketing out there to take advantage of the ongoing studies and correlation found between absorbtion of this carotene and cancer risks.  Of course, these studies have not been completed or proven themselves to the FDA, but I think we can all agree that organization may not been the source to rely on for the most consistent information. 
  The odd thing about Lycopene is that it isn't water soluble and it bonds to fiber, it becomes more dense and easily absorbed into the body the more you condense the vegetable fiber.  This means you will absorb more Lycopene in tomato sauce than in whole tomatoes, and even more in tomato paste.  That being said, if you purchase conventionally canned tomatoes usually the skin is removed which does decrease the amount, so you can make your own tomato paste, (a tedious, multi-step process which i recommend only if you are, in fact, snowed in for an entire day or two) or you can purchase whole-labels and organic brands which use the entire tomato.  Even more interesting is that Organic Tomatoes contain more Lycopene than Conventional, it has to do with the way the crops are fertilized.
So let's hear it for Organic Tomatoes in all of their many forms!


Lean Clean Turkey Chili
Ingredients
6-8 Organic Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Cored
1 15oz Can Organic Tomato Paste
5 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Large Red Onion, Diced
1 Large Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper, Diced
2 Large Green Bell Peppers, Chopped Roughly
2 Cans Organic Red Kidney Beans
2lbs 97% Lean Ground Turkey
3Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avacado Oil
1 Lime, Halved
4-5 Green Onions Chopped
The Heat
1Tbsp Chili Powder
3Tbsp Cumin
2tsp Corriander
3-4 Dried Red Chile Peppers roughly chopped into flakes, can use seeds also if you like.

Some Like it Hot (Use only if you like Muy Caliente!)
2-3 Finely Diced Fresh Jalapeno or Serrano peppers
2 Medium Dried Habanero Peppers OR 1 Small Whole Habanero (caution!)

The Process
First, let's get with the tomatoes!  If you don't have something to core them with, you can simply cut them into quarters and run your knife along the center and remove the stiff fleshy core that way.  Place them in your food processor, or blender.  Add tomato paste, 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Lycopene is fat soluble, the oil ensures more retention during cooking also) and the Chili Powder, Cumin and Corriander.  Add Chile Pepper Flakes, Green Onion and Squeeze juice of half of lime. 
Blend until becomes a thick sauce, set aside.

When you are working with any sort of hot pepper, it is important that you wear gloves especially with fresh peppers in the very hot categories.  I've already taken you on a tomato tour today so I will save the Peppers lecture for another day and continue on.  Always remember that the heat of the pepper is secreted in oils found in the seeds and the inner membrane of the pepper, those should never be handled without gloves and in this recipe if you are using the fresh peppers then you really need to protect your skin.

This is the dried Habanero, halve your peppers lengthwise and with the tip of your knife remove the seeds and membrane from the center.  Finely dice your fresh and dried peppers, the dried will look like flakes.

Let's Sizzle

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a heavy pan, add garlic, onion, Yellow/Orange Bell Peppers and Hot Fresh Peppers.  Do not add Green Pepper.  Let vegetables sweat and add Ground Turkey.  The turkey is lean so you will need to work it and break it up and consistently move it around until the oil and peppers are incorporated and it no longer sticks to the pan.  Cook just enough to evenly brown meat 5-7 minutes. 

Empty your pan of Turkey, Tomato Mixture, Green Bell Pepper, and 2 Cans of Red Kidney Beans into your Slow Cooker.  Now finally, add the dried Habanero and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  You actually can cook this on High if you would like it sooner and the meat will be completely cooked through in 3 hours since you started it in the pan.  I made this Thursday evening and it was much too late to sample by the time it finished, so I planned on having it for lunch.  I decided that a ladle-full over 2 egg whites sounded like a pretty awesome breakfast instead!  Of course I also had some packed up for lunch as well.     :)

Nutritional Facts

1 serving = approx. 1 cup

Calories: 215
Total Fat: 8 gm
Saturated Fats: 2 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 54 mg
Sodium: 200 mg
Carbohydrates: 19 gm
Dietary fiber: 6 gm
Sugars: 6 gm
Protein: 18 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 6