Today's Recipe - Turkey and Vegetable Chili Verde

Today's Recipe
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.

Turkey and Vegetable Chili Verde
Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes
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

Directions:

1. Chop garlic and onion and let sit for at least 5 minutes to enhance their health-promoting benefits.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Add beans, simmer for another several minutes and add herbs, salt, and pepper.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Turkey and Vegetable Chili Verde
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.
For more information on this topic, please see:

• Quinoa
• Warm Quinoa Salad
• Quinoa, Black Bean, Corn Salad