It's Chili Time!

Chili is one of those dishes that is easy to pull together.  It’s classic one pot cooking which lends itself to easy prep and clean up.  Instead of using canned tomato sauce for my chili, I use jarred salsa.  It packs a lot of flavor in just one ingredient.  I still like to add some onion and green bell pepper for fresh flavor, color and texture. 

As for the meat, I usually use ground beef for chili for the rich meaty flavor from the browning step which you don’t get when using ground turkey.  However, I discovered a way to use lean ground turkey and still get a rich flavor by adding unsweetened cocoa along with the spices.  Adding chocolate is typical to some Mexican dishes like moles and I found it adds a nice layer of flavor to the chili when using ground turkey. 

Zesty Turkey Chili

Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon oil

1 ½ pounds extra lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 cups salsa

½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt or nonfat sour cream

¼ cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese

1.      Heat oil in pot over medium heat.  Add turkey and cook until browned, stirring occasionally to break up meat.

2.      Add onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cocoa and cumin.  Cook and stir for 5 minutes.

3.      Add salsa.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.      Serve topped with yogurt and cheese.

Nutrition Information per serving (1 ½ c. chili, 2 tbsp. plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp. shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese): 418 calories, 15 g. total fat, 6 g. saturated fat, 86 mg. cholesterol, 1225 mg. sodium, 26 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. dietary fiber, 11 g. sugar, 47 g. protein

Zesty Turkey Chili with Beans: add 1 (15 to16-ounce) can black beans, drained with the salsa.

The Flavors of Tuscany

Fresh rosemary was the inspiration for this recipe.  My daughter brought home several stalks of this fragrant herb grown in a coworker’s garden.  I was planning on meatloaf for dinner so decided to explore the flavors of Tuscany.  Rosemary is an herb commonly found in Tuscan cuisine, so I pulled in red wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic which are also typical of the cuisine of the region. 

I like to use fresh bread crumbs in my meatloaf.  Instead of buying a fresh loaf of crusty bread to make crumbs for this purpose I always make crumbs of leftover bakery bread to have on hand in the freezer for uses like this.  The meatloaf mixture comes together quickly and is ready for the oven in no time.

The star of the dish is the balsamic flavored mushrooms.   The earthy mushrooms soak up the sweet-tart flavor of the vinegar along with the garlic and rosemary to make the perfect complement to the meatloaf. Buon appetito!

Rosemary Meatloaf with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce

Makes 10 servings

½ cup red wine

¼ cup tomato paste

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced, divided

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided

½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 ½ pounds ground meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1.      Mix wine, tomato paste, eggs in a large bowl.  Stir in bread crumbs, onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons rosemary and pepper.  Add meatloaf mix and thoroughly combine.

2.      Shape into a 10 x 4 x 2 1/2- inch loaf and place in a foil-lined and greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

3.      Bake at 350°F. for 1 hour 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

4.      Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.   Add mushrooms and remaining garlic and rosemary.  Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  Add vinegar and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until syrupy.  Spoon the mushroom mixture over the sliced meatloaf.

Nutrition Information per serving: 320 calories, 10 g. total fat, 3 g. saturated fat, 134 mg. cholesterol, 589 mg. sodium, 14 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. dietary fiber, 2 g. sugar, 34 g. protein