It’s a dark and stormy night, and all you can think about is sitting down with a bowl of your favorite comfort food. Something full of flavor and substance, a hearty meal that will fill and warm every corner of your stomach. On nights like this, one of the first things to come to my mind is chili; meaty and spicy, tastebud-explosion-in-your-mouth chili. Often when we think of comfort food, we think of something greasy and high calorie. Luckily for us, chili can be made with healthy eating in mind. The combination of meat and beans will give you a healthy dose of protein that will sustain you for a good period of time.

Not too long ago,  I came across this recipe for Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili on an incredible food blog, Healthy Seasonal Recipes. It looked amazing, so I made it. SO GOOD!! I highly recommend you give it a try, and that you spend some time looking at other healthy meals on Healthy Seasonal Recipes.

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil or organic canola oil, divided
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
  • 5 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
  • 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup dark maple syrup
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • ¼ cup toasted pepitas
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over high heat.
  • Add turkey, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally until browned, and no longer pink on the outside.
  • Transfer the turkey and any juices from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
  • Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
  • Add onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring often until the onion is very soft and brown, 6 to 10 minutes.
  • Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and chipotle and cook, stirring until fragrant and starting to toast and darken
  • slightly, 30 to 90 seconds.
  • Add vinegar, and stir until evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits and spices.
  • Add tomatoes, beans, maple syrup and the turkey, and stir to combine.
  • Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook stirring occasionally until the turkey and onion are tender, 10 to 14 minutes.
  • Serve topped with cheddar cheese, avocado, cilantro and pepitas.
Sweet and Savory Turkey Chili
Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Jen Powter
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10 servings
A healthy comfort food, for those dark and stormy nights.
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, olive oil or organic canola oil, divided
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
  • 5 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
  • 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup dark maple syrup
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • ¼ cup toasted pepitas
  • 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
  • Instructions
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over high heat.
  • Add turkey, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally until browned, and no longer pink on the outside.
  • Transfer the turkey and any juices from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
  • Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
  • Add onion, garlic and salt and cook, stirring often until the onion is very soft and brown, 6 to 10 minutes.
  • Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and chipotle and cook, stirring until fragrant and starting to toast and darken slightly, 30 to 90 seconds.
  • Add vinegar, and stir until evaporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  • Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits and spices.
  • Add tomatoes, beans, maple syrup and the turkey, and stir to combine.
  • Increase heat to high and bring to a simmer.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook stirring occasionally until the turkey and onion are tender, 10 to 14 minutes.
  • Serve topped with cheddar cheese, avocado, cilantro and pepitas.
Instructions
  1. Place all the soup ingredients, except the hominy, into the slow cooker. Stir well.
  2. Cover the slow cooker, and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.
  3. When ready to serve, shred the chicken thighs, and then stir in the hominy.
  4. Check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if desired.
  5. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
  6. Cut the corn tortillas into thin strips, and fry in the oil for 1-2 minutes per side, until crispy.
  7. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool and crisp up.
  8. To serve the soup, pile some of the tortilla strips, avocado chunks and cheese in a bowl. Ladle hot soup over top. Top with more tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, cilantro, and sour cream, if desired.
  9. NOTES
  10. What the heck is hominy? Hominy is a very special ingredient in so many of our favorite Mexican foods. Hominy is basically dried corn that has been soaked in a mineral lime bath. You can find cans of it in the international foods aisle of your grocery store. It’s got a delicious chewy texture that really adds some substance to this soup. Hominy tends to go a bit mushy if you let it slow cook for the entire time. Just toss it in at the end and let it warm through right before serving.

How about you? Do you have a healthy comfort food recipe you’d be willing to share? Please leave it in the comments below!