Crock Pot Chronicles: Turkey Three-Bean Chili

It pains me to write about chili on day three of a juice cleanse, but baby, it’s cold outside, and if I weren’t cleansing I would be whipping up another batch to warm up this dreary day.

Last week I made the most phenomenal chili to ever pass my lips. It was hearty and thick, and so perfectly spicy.  And I know I’m not just tooting my own horn, because Jamie couldn’t get enough of it either! The best part? It was SO easy.

Turkey Three-Bean Chili

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb fat free ground turkey breast
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 (10 oz) cans hot or mild Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (if you can find a 28 oz can, more power to ya!)
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 green bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 (15.5 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, undrained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can small red beans, undrained
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast (flour can be used as an alternative)

Seasoning:

• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 tablespoon dried, minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Brown the turkey with red onion in a medium skillet over medium high heat until cooked, and drain any fat remaining.To make life easier, I did step one the night before, and kept the cooked meat in the refrigerator overnight, so all I had to do in the morning was put everything in the crock pot. So easy!
2. Add the meat, tomatoes con chilies, tomato sauce, green pepper and seasoning mix to the crock combining well.
3. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. If you’re like me, and a work day could potentially last 10-12 hours, leave the pot on the low setting.
4. In the last hour or two of cooking, add the beans, and turn the crock pot up to high, if it isn’t already. The world won’t end if you have he beans in the whole time, but they might come out a bit mushy, so I choose to add them later.When you’re almost ready to serve, incorporate the nutritional yeast or flour, little by little, until your chili is at desired consistency.

Top with cheddar, cilantro, sour cream, lime, etc. Whatever your little heart desires, and enjoy!

Mexican Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

…what? Recipes like the one you are about to endure are what I like to categorize as “fridge fusion.” This cooking style is strictly reserved for nights when I am completely lazy, frugal and overdue for a trip to the grocery store – tonight being one such night.

I realized that my only immediate food options were carbs: leftover pizza or pasta. To throw myself an extra curveball, I’ve been eating a vegetarian diet since last Tuesday (part of my 101 in 1001 list). As my buyer’s remorse set before even placing a Seamless order, I remembered a lonely can of chickpeas in the cupboard. I quickly shut my laptop and scurried the difficult five steps from my couch to my kitchen (oh, New York apartments), whipped out a pan and searched the vegetable drawer for anything still edible. I found some romaine lettuce, half a red onion and one-quarter of a yellow squash. Perfecto!

I had pre-determined that if I were to cook tonight, it would only be to provide a vehicle for my homemade Mexican seasoning. I’m obsessed – see recipe at bottom of post – so the puzzle pieces had to find a way to fit together.

Start by heating some olive oil in a medium pan and add the yellow squash (quartered) and red onion (diced).

Give them about five minutes to warm up and then add the chickpeas, and mix in one table spoon of the homemade Mexican seasoning.

Cook until heated through (maybe five more minutes? I’m sorry I didn’t keep track!), and you’re done.

I spooned these onto some romaine leaves, but would have preferred iceberg because it’s easier to wrap. I also added a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

 

And then I got sick of dropping chickpeas on the ground, and shamelessly threw it all into a bowl…and added more greek yogurt…oh yea, and a spritz of lime juice.

If this recipe had been pre-meditated, there definitely would have been some cilantro and diced tomato.

Here is the Mexican seasoning recipe that carnivore me would use with a pound of meat:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• A dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

I like to double (or triple or quadruple) this, and store it in my pantry so that I don’t have to mix it as often.