Healthy Turkey Chili

Happy (belated) New Year! 

I know I'm late but as this is my first post of 2017, I thought it was only appropriate to start the new year off with a delicious and healthy recipe. I'm so excited to share this dish because it was my first ever attempt at making chili with turkey rather than beef or chicken. I've been fairly hesitant about using turkey previously because I thought the flavor would be overwhelming. However, I'm so glad I gave it a try! Not only was this super tasty but also incredibly fast - the perfect meal for a busy week night. 

I particularly liked how easy it was to sneak in extra vegetables to make it even healthier - I added grated sweet potatoes, leeks and two kinds of bell pepper. I'd never tried grating sweet potatoes into a dish like this but they added a really nice background sweetness. Additionally, there are two types of beans to help make this be even more filling. I had the chili on its own while Matt had his with some easy microwaveable rice and we were both completely full. And we still had plenty leftover for dinner the next day. I did cheat a little by using a packet of chili seasoning but I think for a quick meal like this, that's totally fine. If you have more time, definitely try out your own seasonings as that way you can control the salt and heat. 

One important note: all ground (or minced if you're in the UK) turkey is not created equal! If you want to keep an eye on the fat and cholesterol content, make sure you're getting ground turkey breast rather than thigh meat. 

Finally, this chili would make an excellent workplace lunch and this recipe could easily be doubled to provide for the whole week. Yum! 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20-30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

Olive oil 

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 large leek, quartered and finely chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

500g ground turkey breast (2% fat)

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated 

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can sweet corn, drained

Method: 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the red onion and leek in a splash of olive oil until they start to soften. Add in the red and yellow peppers and continue cooking, stirring frequently. When the peppers have softened, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. 

Next, stir in the ground turkey and break it up as it browns. Keep mixing to ensure that all of the turkey is cooked before adding in the chili seasoning, chopped tomatoes and grated sweet potatoes. Allow the pot to simmer for about five minutes, adding a splash of water as needed. When the sweet potatoes have softened, add in the beans and corn before leaving the entire mix to simmer for another five minutes or so. 

Serve with lighter cheddar cheese, jalopenos, olives and any other toppings you fancy! 

Enjoy! 

Sick Day: Tom Kha Soup

You know those days when you can just feel a cold coming on? When you're not technically sick yet, with just the early warnings of a sore throat or cough? I had one of those days this week and was all set to spend the rest of the week feeling sorry for myself while bemoaning my sickly existence and the unfairness of life. However, then something magical happened: I remembered how delicious and easy this soup is! With its vibrant mix of salty, sweet, and spicy flavors, this soup is my go to for stopping a cold in its tracks. I'll definitely be keeping it in mind as we head into the wet and miserable days of winter here in London... 

Strangely, the only times I've ever had tom kha soup in a restaurant were when I was living in Chennai, India. One of the nicer hotels has a little restaurant which offers a thai/vietnamese buffet where you can create your own version of different soup options. They have several soup bases available (such as tom ka or tom yum) and then a variety of toppings and add-ons, such as mushrooms, chicken, tofu, etc. Suffice to say, I was hooked. Since coming home, I've expiramented with trying to make it myself at home and this seems to be the easiest method. I love how customizable this dish can be since it's entirely up to you how spicy you make it or even what ingredients to include. I went with portobello mushrooms since that's what I had on hand but you could also add in some chicken or noodles if you're in the mood for a spicy twist on that old standby: chicken noodle soup. One thing to note: the coconut milk will continue to thicken the soup as it cooks so you may need to add a bit of water at the end to loosen it up before serving but that is entirely up to your personal preference.

Prep Time: 3 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

900ml chicken stock (or water with chicken bouillon)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 pieces of fresh lemongrass, smashed and chopped into large pieces
2-3 red chilies
Fish sauce (to taste)
Zest of a lime
2 portobello mushrooms, chopped (or a handful of smaller mushrooms)
Juice of 1-2 limes (to taste)
Fresh coriander

Method:

Bring the chicken stock and coconut milk to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add in the ginger, garlic, half of the sliced red onion, lemongrass and chilies.

Lower to a simmer and leave to heat through for tenminutes, or until the soup has your preferred level of flavor. Add fish sauce to taste and the lime zest.

Strain the soup through a sieve and return to the pot. Make sure to press the ingredients into the sieve to make sure as much flavor is incorporated into the soup. Bring the strained soup back to a simmer and add the mushrooms and the remaining onion slices. Continue to cook until the mushrooms and onion slices are tender.

To serve, add the fresh coriander and lime juice to taste. Enjoy!