If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
Cruciferous vegetables, like kale, are some of the most health-promoting vegetables around. This kale and turkey combination makes for a unique version of chili that is sure to become one of your favorite Healthiest Way of Eating recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 medium cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 4 oz can diced green chili
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 TBS + 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups finely chopped kale
- 2 cups or 1 15 oz can (BPA-free) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 TBS chopped fresh oregano
- 3 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
- salt and black pepper to taste
- Chop garlic and onion and let sit for at least 5 minutes to enhance their health-promoting benefits.
- Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium soup pot. Healthy Sauté onion in broth for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add garlic and ground turkey with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to sauté, breaking up turkey for another 5 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, chili, and broth to turkey mixture and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir in chopped kale, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add beans, simmer for another several minutes and add herbs, salt, and pepper.
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Turkey and Vegetable Chili Verde
Healthy Food Tip
I just purchased quinoa for the first time and now I am not sure what to do with it. Can you give me some ideas as to how I can prepare it?
One of my favorite ways to prepare quinoa is as a breakfast cereal. To make a pot of quinoa, I usually use a ratio of two parts water to every one part quinoa. For example, I add one cup of cold water to ½ cup quinoa and cook for about 10-15 minutes. After it is done, keeping the burner at low temperature, I mix in some soymilk (but you can use any type of regular milk or milk alternative if you prefer) to give it an oatmeal-like, moist texture. Then I add in chopped nuts and dried fruits. Sometimes, I'll also add in a little natural sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup. When I'm in the mood for a little extra creaminess, I'll add in a little coconut milk as well.
As a side dish, I'd recommend using quinoa like you would use rice. You can either serve it plain or add some seasonings, vegetables, and/or nuts.
Quinoa also makes a great base for cold grain salads. One of my favorites is making quinoa tabouli. To do so, I add some chopped greens (like parsley, mint, and/or scallions) to chilled cooked quinoa. Then I add some extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Oftentimes, I'll also add other ingredients for variety; for example, adding some chopped nuts and feta cheese is one of my favorite ways to add extra zing to a cold quinoa salad.
Regardless of how you prepare your quinoa, remember to wash it well before cooking it. Raw quinoa is coated with naturally occurring saponins that can impart a soapy taste to your otherwise delicious quinoa if not removed. An easy way to wash the quinoa is to run cold water over quinoa that has been placed in a fine-meshed strainer, gently rubbing the seeds (quinoa is technically a seed, not a grain) together with your hands. To ensure that the saponins have been completely removed, taste a few seeds. If they still have a bitter taste, continue the rinsing process.
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