Jessica Seinfeld's Turkey Chili

 

Time for another one of Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe with hidden vegetables! (See here and here for more of her recipes.) I decided to try her turkey chili. 

To me, this chili wasn’t as good as my two favorites (my mother’s beef chili and this vegan chili). I think I’m not crazy about chilis that use corn meal as a thickener, and I now question whether I even enjoy paprika. That being said, I still liked it, and the Engineer as well as the Little Prince were crazy about it. It also has some tips that could be translated to my other recipes: it’s easy to add some red bell pepper purée and some carrot purée to chili without those being detected (even by kids who don’t like bell peppers) – you could probably also get away with very finely chopping them in a food processor. I also puréed the beans into a cup of broth before adding them to the pot, and again, even though my oldest doesn’t like beans, he loved this dish! Here’s my slightly adapted version below. I also made soda bread to serve as a side. 

1 Tbsp. olive oil 

½ cup chopped red onion 

1 lb. ground lean turkey 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 pinch Korean pepper (no way am I putting 1 Tbsp. chili powder in anything!) 

1 tsp. salt 

¼ tsp. sweet paprika 

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 

1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes 

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

½ cup red bell pepper purée 

½ cup carrot purée 

¼ cup cornmeal (see note above) 

2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal 

1 15-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 

garnishes of your choosing (I used avocado, lactose-free sour cream and grated sharp cheddar) 

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. 

Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. 

Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth (I held back 1 cup of broth here and puréed the beans in it with my immersion blender in the next step), red pepper purée, carrot purée, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans (puréed, if you wish) and cook a little longer, just to heat them through. 

Serve with your toppings of choice.