Recipe Sunday: Turkey Veggie Chili

There is nothing better than a nice hot bowl of chili on a chilly day (no pun intended!)-- and for both adults and kids alike!  Being that today marked one of the coldest days of the year, I thought that it also couldn't have been a more appropriate time to hole up in my apartment, and make a healthy rendition myself-- and, of course, share with our Little Sprouts and their families! However, what was supposed to be an easy breezy dinner turned into an entire kitchen experiment!

You see, searching the net for chili recipes proved to be a quite difficult task. There are a tremendous amount of recipes out there that rely solely on beans, meat, an onion, a generic taco seasoning pack... and sometimes even a jar of salsa! While to some this makes for an easy and quick meal, the nutrition (and fun!) lies in adding veggies that cater to what your Little Sprout likes to eat! Not to mention, it also makes for a really fun chopping and dicing lesson in the kitchen.  Your Little Sprouts will love preparing the veggies to throw into the mix.

That said, I walked the aisles of my Whole Foods with a few recipes in hand, and picked my  ingredients. Two hours later, I had a steaming bowl of chili, with some freshly shredded cheddar cheese--- just what I wanted! Here's the recipe I came up with... I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Turkey Vegetable Chili

Makes 8-10 Servings

Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1.5 lb ground turkey breast (feel free to use any kind of meat you prefer!)
1 large yellow onion
2 stalks of celery, chopped
6 garlic cloves
1/4 of a jalapeño, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
1 28oz can of plum tomatoes 
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 cups frozen (or canned) sweet corn
2.5 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper 
pinch of red hot pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated fresh)
Sour Cream (optional)
1 Avocado, chopped
and any other veggies you'd like to use! suggestions: peas, yellow squash, zucchini...

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, onion, celery, jalapeno, chopped peppers, and saute until soft (not browned).
3. Add the turkey, mix in the pot, until cooked. Also, when you do this, add bits of the spices as well- a pinch of each, salt, and black pepper.
4.  Squeeze the plum tomatoes into the mixture, and add the remaining juice. Then add the beans, and the remainder of the spices.
5. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low/medium. Cover, let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add additional spices to taste.
6. Serve in medium sized bowls, with a sprinkle of freshly grated extra sharp cheddar, a handful of chopped avocado, and a dollop of sour cream! Delish!