Recipe: Hearty Turkey Chili {Weight Watchers}

Your mind and the way you think is a funny thing sometimes. We get so regimented in things that we’re used to, that sometimes doing something a different way never even occurs to us.

And in this particular instance, that rings true with me and corn bread.

I’ve always been a take-it-or-leave-it kind of girl when it comes to corn bread, mostly leaving it because often times I just find it too dry for my liking. I’ve probably made corn bread less than three times in my life.

Madeline doesn’t care for it. Nick only likes the Boston Market version. Which, by the way, is rumored to be easily created by combining a box of Jiffy corn bread mix, and a box of cake mix. Strange, but reportedly the perfect way to get their slightly sweet taste.

Back to my story. During the great Hurricane Sandy power outage of 2012, we found ourselves at my friend Carmen’s house for dinner, where she had a big pot of homemade chili simmering away on the stove. On the kitchen counter, a basket of cornbread. Normally I would have skipped it, but as she added toppings to her own bown of chili (cheese? yes, please!), she put the corn bread right into the bowl too, breaking it up into pieces and eating it with the bitefulls of chili.

Sheer genius.

And something that had never occurred to me before.

So last week, as I left my sister’s Thanksgiving dinner with leftover corn bread in hand, I was focused on one thing.

Making chili to mash it into.

Because now I can’t think of a better way to eat corn bread.

Since I don’t think the corn bread she served, from a NYC bbq place, is super healthy, I set off to find a healthier version of chili to balance it out. No dice in the Biggest Loser cookbook (though they do have a white chicken version), I found what I was looking for on Weight Watchers’ web site.

Hearty Turkey Chili.

Chili, but healthier.

Guilt avoided.

Or side-stepped.

Along with the lean turkey meat, the chili is loaded with vegetables, so it’s good for you in other ways too.

It took under 45 minutes to make from start to finish, and was the perfect low-key evening meal for me and the kids (and with enough leftovers for lunch the next day for a co-worker and I).

Well, just one kid. Madeline refuses to try anything that is in the soup/stew/chili family. Nick was all too happy to eat her share. And a banana and two yogurts.

#hellogrowthspurt

So if you indulged a bit too much during last week’s Thanksgiving feast.

Or just need a different vehicle to get the corn bread into your mouth.

Try this one.

Hearty Turkey Chili
Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray
1 tsp canola oil
1 large uncooked onion(s), chopped (I used two small)
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground turkey
2 medium uncooked carrot(s), thinly sliced into rounds
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 medium fresh tomato(es), chopped
1 cup(s) canned tomato sauce (I used one small can)
1 cup(s) canned, chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup(s) cooked kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used one can)
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup(s) uncooked scallion(s), chopped

Directions

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add oil and onion; sauté onion until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and carrots; cook until garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Add turkey; brown meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Stir to break up lumps.

Add chili powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, beans and green pepper; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions.

Yields about 1 cup per serving.
6 points per serving, 6 servings

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