Home From The City

No Bean Turkey Chili

It was a Cinderella kind of weekend. Not the part where the mean women tormented Cinderella, but the good fairy godmother part of the story. I spent the weekend in the city with Jessica. The main purpose for the trip was to shop for a dress for me to wear to her wedding. I am SO not a shopper. The thoughts of serious shopping—important shopping—did not thrill me. It was more like it filled me with dread with a touch of terror. But it turned out to be so much fun. A truly memorable morning.

I tried on dress after dress. Dresses that sparkled and glittered. Dresses that glimmered and shimmered. Dresses that were slim. Dresses that were poofy. For this blue-jean wearing grandmother, it was like finding another me that I didn't know was there. One that enjoyed dressing up. Or, maybe playing dress up. I understand a little better now why the small granddaughters love their princess dresses.

The whole weekend had a bit of magic about it. On Friday we visited one of the quaint nearby neighborhoods for a little browsing before dinner. As we strolled down the busy sidewalk, a middle school girl shouted out to me, "I love your shoes!" A clerk in a shop told me the same thing a little later. I've never been overly concerned about being fashionable. But it was fun to think that maybe for once I hit the mark.

After the shopping and lunch at the OK Cafe on Saturday, we spent the afternoon at home. Jessica worked while I knitted and watched a Craftsy class. (More about that class later.) Then she whipped up a quick supper for us to enjoy while we watched a movie. She has been doing a month of Whole 30 recipes and this was a recipe she has made before and liked.

I imagine that if I had read this recipe before making it, I would have kept looking. But this chili without beans was delicious. One that I'd make here at home. It's nice to have some healthy recipes on hand. I know. I know. All of our recipes should be healthy. But that's not always the case. We try to balance the indulgent foods with healthy foods, aiming to tip the scale toward the healthy side. Way toward that side of the scale.

The hardest part of making this chili would be peeling and dicing the sweet potato. Jessica had a container of potatoes already peeled and diced. She's used the sweet potatoes in many of her dishes lately, so stirring up this chili was a breeze. Jessica also tossed in some diced green peppers and tomatoes because there some on hand that needed to be used.

If your meals need to be gluten free, this one is. I do have friends that are very careful about avoiding gluten. Thankfully, my only requirement is that it be delicious. It is that, too.

NO-BEAN TURKEY SWEET POTATO CHILI (with Jessica's notes)

• 1 lb. ground turkey (I used 93% lean)
• kosher salt, to taste
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 10 oz. can Rotel mild tomatoes with green chilies (I used the Whole Foods organic kind)
• 8 oz can tomato sauce (I looked for the one with the lowest amount of sugar)
• ¾ cup water
• ½ tsp cumin, or to taste
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
• diced avocado, for garnish
• optional toppings: shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream, scallions

In a large skillet, brown turkey over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks into smaller pieces and season with salt and cumin. When meat is browned and cooked through, add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add the can of Rotel tomatoes, sweet potato, tomato sauce, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and bay leaf. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are soft and cooked through, about 25 minutes stirring occasionally. 

Add ¼ cup more water if needed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

You can served this with extra toppings, like shredded cheese, scallions, and sour cream. I added a spoonful of sour cream to my bowl and loved the extra richness. Now that cooler weather is here—well, the weatherman has PROMISED it will be cool tomorrow—I'm happy to have a new chili recipe to enjoy. Thanks, Jessica! Thanks for the recipe. Thanks for your hospitality. Thanks for a fun mother-daughter weekend.

If you have a few minutes, take a look at Jessica's blog, which right now contains many of the recipes she's been using lately. She's an excellent cook and as an artist, her food photos are always better than mine, too.

PS....Yes. I did find a dress!