Hearty Chili, or Spaghetti Sauce!
This is such an easy meal, and is great for meal prep. It’s hearty enough on its own for a bowl of chili, but tonight I spread it over a plate of spiralized zucchini noodles, topped with nutritional yeast. You can dress it up any way you want, but this base will get you started.
Makes 5 cups of chili/sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 T avocado oil (you can use whichever oil you like, but make sure it has a high smoke point. Olive oil does not!)
1 lb. ground turkey
4 (or more!) cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped to your preference. I like roughly chopped so that it’s hearty.
1 jalapeno, sliced thin. I don’t discard the membrane or seeds, that’s up to you. You can omit it completely if you aren’t into it.
1 cup vegetable broth
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tsp each: chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt & pepper, and herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary. I use a blend of all three.
TO DO:
Heat the oil in a large pot (or the sauté function in an Instant Pot) and add the onions & garlic until caramelized. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned. Dump everything else in the pot and simmer over low until it starts to smell delicious. Taste as you go, and add seasoning as needed. The only thing I wouldn’t add more of is coconut milk, but you could always add a little arrowroot powder to thicken things up.
Note on organic: Any time there’s an organic option, I go with it vs. conventional. There are some things like bananas, grapefruit, avocados and oranges that get a pass, but typically the organic option isn’t much more expensive. For the thin-skinned jalapeno & zucchini I used here, organic was important. I like to meal plan around which organic veggies go on sale at Whole Foods, and just won’t buy certain items conventional. It takes more planning to stay in my budget, but it’s something I’m passionate about and believe in wholeheartedly. There will be many more posts about this in the future, I’m sure. Take it or leave it.
