Diet Friendly Turkey Chili
I woke up twice this week having dreamt about Thanksgiving. I must be subconsciously wishing for cooler weather! Cooler weather always makes me think about my diet friendly turkey chili. This is our first summer here in Arizona, and it was 112 degrees yesterday. I’m very thankful to have the pool to bob around in during these sweltering months, but I have to say that I wasn’t expecting 112 in June. I was thinking it would more likely be August before we saw anything over 102 or 103. I guess that means we have 3 more months of 100 degree weather. At least we’ll get good use out of the pool!
I’m usually the one complaining about all of the autumn fashions and advertising that hits the stores in summer for “back to school”. I do realize they do this for merchandising, but I’m never ready for pumpkins in July (I saw my first ones today), or for bathing suits to hit the stores in January. Girlfriend, I can tell you, I get it now! I’m starting to look wistfully toward cooler weather, and comfort foods such as my original chili recipe that I posted here.
The Problem With Comfort Foods
I spend half of every year watching my calories and carbs. (Please tell me you do the same.) As I inch closer to my 60’s, it gets harder and harder to keep my weight in check. For that reason, this Diet Friendly Turkey Chili recipe has become a favorite during the winter and spring months when I’m usually trying to shed my holiday pounds.
It’s only about 250 calories for a generous 1 1/2 cup bowl, and only about 17 grams net carbs (the amount of carbs remaining after you subtract the fiber). You can get it even lower by making sure the canned tomatoes you buy don’t have any added sugar. My calorie estimate isn’t scientific. I just entered it into the Lose It app as a custom recipe, and that’s what came back. This diet friendly chili has a lot of protein, though, about 25 grams. So it will definitely stick to your ribs!
Keeping it Diet Friendly
Because we usually eat this particular recipe when we’re watching our weight, we don’t serve it over noodles or chips. We just eat it straight out of the bowl, with a spoon. After a couple of low-carb weeks, we’re usually so thankful for this steaming bowl of deliciousness!
I adapted this recipe from one a friend gave me years ago. It’s a great idea to double the recipe, as long as you’re cutting and chopping anyway. Since there are only 3 of us in our household, this gives us another meal later in the week, and a batch to freeze for later in the month. Cook once, eat 4 times!
Diet Friendly Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Large Sweet Onion diced
- 1 Large Red pepper diced
- 1 Large Yellow pepper diced
- 1 Large Orange pepper diced
- 1 Tbsp Fresh garlic minced
- 1 Lb Lean ground turkey breast Chicken would work, as well.
- 2 Tbsp Chile powder
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper or to taste. It will depend on how spicy your chili powder is.
- 1 tsp Oregano, dried
- 1 14 oz can Fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can Crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp Pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink, about 4 or 5 minutes. Drain off any fat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic, cooking until they are softened, about 3 minutes. In the mean time, add in the spices, stirring until they are fragrant, a few minutes longer. Add in all of the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chili can seem soupy. In fact, my dad calls it chili soup. So, if you have the time, let it simmer on the stove for a couple of hours for a nice, thick, chili. Serve topped with fresh chopped onion, sour cream, or cheddar cheese.
Pro Tip: Freeze the rest of the can when a recipe calls for only two tablespoons of tomato paste. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, and spoon the remaining paste onto the sheet in tablespoon sized blobs. Slide the cookie sheet into your freezer for a couple of hours, until set. Then pop the little blobs into a freezer bag to use in another recipe. It is so handy to grab a couple of frozen paste spoonfuls to toss into a chili, soup, or stew. I know that they sell paste in a tube, but I just can’t get past spending that much extra money for a convenient tube, when I can freeze the rest of my can. Also, the can is recyclable. The spent plastic tube is not.
I promise to share some of my favorite seasonally appropriate foods real soon. This time of year I’m loving tacos, cold salads, grilled meats and veggies. Help me keep my heart into summer by sharing your favorite summertime foods, below.
