Turkey Chili

A friend of mine threw a Super Bowl Party and served up a delicious meal of turkey chili filled with hearty vegetables. I had always loved chili, but my favorite part used to be the red kidney beans. Because we don't consume beans on Paleo I didn't think chili would hold much appeal for me anymore. That turkey chili was so amazing, though, I didn't even miss my beloved beans. I had to go home and make my own version.


Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 - 1.5 pound ground turkey meat
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thick
• 3 celery stalks, sliced thick
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thick
• 1 8oz package sliced baby bella mushrooms, chopped smaller
• 1 2.25oz can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (about 1 tsp is good for a some kick, add more if you like it spicier)
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice
• 8 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth

1. Begin by heating a few TBSP of EVOO in a large stock pot or french oven.

2. Brown the turkey chop meat in the pan, breaking up the large bits with a wooden spoon. Once the turkey is done cooking, drop in the onion, garlic, celery, red bell pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Stir often to cook all the veggies until slightly soft.


3. Next add in the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste and cayenne pepper, and stir to mix well. Feel free to add in more cayenne pepper if you want to kick up the spiciness.

4. Add the can of diced tomatoes with the juices, olives (drained), and the low sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thick and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

Brown the meat

Cook the veggies

Almost ready!