We haven’t made chili in a few weeks, so it was time to grease up the crockpot and chop up some veggies.
I found a wonderful looking chili recipe in Clean Eating Magazine. I picked up all my ingredients at the store last week, so that I could get right to work Saturday morning.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have white beans (kind of a big deal since it is in the title of the original recipe), but I knew that black beans would be a fair substitution. I was able to find tomato puree (I’ve never used that in chili before), and decided to use sweet potato instead of white potatoes for taste and nutritional value.
I like to slow cook on low heat. I don’t know much about slow cookers of the past but I think that my crockpot is super strong and therefore I can cook something on low (8-10 hours) for only 6 hours and have a thick bowl of chili.
After a few hours, my chili was smelling good but not as thick as I would have expected. I added in the roasted corn. Yes, it appears that microwaving a premade bag of roasted corn could be considered cheating, but when I saw this in the frozen section, I knew it would make life this recipe MUCH easier.
A few more hours back in the crockpot with some additional seasonings, and I had a THICK and smoky chili!
I was even more surprised to see how much thicker my chili was when I poured myself a bowl for lunch today. Although I shouldn’t be too surprised as soups and chilies usually taste even better the second day. I think some of my substitutions changed the flavor of the recipe as written, but I am totally digging this colorful chili. The sweet potatoes add the right amount of sweetness that compliment the smoky corn. Covered in avocado, this was a filling lunch after this morning’s challenging Hot Yoga class.
Meanwhile, the BOY grilled up some burgers for our Dad’s who came over to watch the Indiana v Northwestern basketball game today. It took a little convincing but the BOY braved the cold (it was in the 30’s) to make juicy burgers for the guys’ lunch. He even took the time to make roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions to go with the burgers.
We had a wonderful afternoon relaxing in the living room, devouring our lunches, chatting about sports, and telling stories. This was the first time that just our Dads came over and it was an awesome way to spend the afternoon. The boys were more than happy to save room for dessert, Peanut Butter Bon Bons.
And the Dad’s even took a few to go home. FYI, the BOY has decided that the vanilla coated bonbons taste even better than the chocolate ones in case you are already making your Valentine treat list!
I know it sounds crazy, but I could totally go for another bowl of chili for dinner. Maybe that’s because we are watching the football playoffs and chili just seems appropriate : )
Have you made any new recipes in your crockpot?
Turkey and Bean Chili with Roasted Corn
Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey breast
4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (can sub in min red skin potatoes halved per original recipe)
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth
1 can black beans, rinsed (original recipe calls for navy beans but any white bean will work)
1 cup tomato puree
3 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
salt to taste
3 medium cobs of corn or 2 cups frozen and thawed corn kernels
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil or cooking spray over medium heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring frequently until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onion, stir and cook for 5 minutes until soft and well cooked.
Transfer turkey mixture to slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Add potato, pepper, broth, beans, tomato puree, and all seasonings. Stir and cook on low (6-8 hour setting) or high for closer to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, if using corn cobs, char on grill or over grill pan. When cool, shave kernels from cob. About 1 hour before finished, stir in fresh or microwaved corn and cook until potatoes are soft and chili has thickened.
Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.
