Turkey Chilli with Cornbread

Hey guys!

As some of you know I write a monthly article for the online magazine Our Big Earth!!!

It’s been great fun, and this month marks 1 year of being part of their crew!!

I took a look back to see my VERY FIRST submission to them today and thought it might be fun to put the recipe up here too!!   

Make sure to check out Our Big Earth too, it’s an awesome website full of lots of amazing articles! Lots of them are geared towards kids and being Earth friendly!! 

 

Anywhoo… here is a great recipe, that we make around here often –the Cornbread is amazing too!!

Turkey Chilli with Cornbread

INGREDIENTS:

- ¾ lb ground turkey (or meat of choice),

- 1 tbsp olive oil,

- 1 large white onion diced,

- 2 cloves garlic minced,

- 2 carrots grated or diced,

- 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper diced,

- 1 medium zucchini diced,

- 1 15 oz can white kidney beans rinsed and drained,

- 1 540ml can diced tomatoes,

- Fresh Cilantro to garnish (optional), and

- 1 package of Simply Organic Chili Mix (my fav)*

OR

- 1 tsp ground cumin,
- 1 tsp ground coriander,
- 1 tsp cinnamon,
- 1 tsp oregano, and
- 2 tbsp chili powder (or to taste).

PREPERATION:

- Heat olive oil in a large pot.

- Add onion, chopped peppers, carrots and garlic.

- Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

- Add the turkey to the pot and break it apart with a wooden spoon.

- Cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

- Stir in Simply Organic Chili Mix or cumin, coriander, cinnamon, oregano and chili powder.

- Add in tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is a great time to get the cornbread together and toss in the oven.

- Add beans and zucchini, mix well and cook on low heat for a further 10-15 minutes.

If chili seems to thick, feel free to add a bit of water to desired consistency. Serve with chopped cilantro, cheese, sour cream or your favorite chili topper. Serves 4

A few kid friendly alterations:

- Leave the veggies out and serve raw on the side with some dip.
- Serve with tortilla chips to use as spoons (this is still one of my favourite ways to eat chili)!
- Get them to help chop up the veggies. It’s amazing what kids will eat when they are a part of the process.

Easy Corn Bread

I had never made or tasted cornbread before this recipe. Once I made it, I knew there would never be another cornbread recipe in my life It’s the perfect accompaniment to this chilli, or any other soup or stew type meal.

It’s also fantastic the next morning toasted up with eggs or peanut butter and jam. If you have a gluten allergy you can substitute oat flour for wheat flour.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole wheat flour (spelt or oat flour work too),
1 cup cornmeal,
¼ cup sugar,
4 tsp baking powder,
A pinch of salt,
2 eggs,
¼ cup oil, and
½ cup milk of choice (I use Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze to give it a very subtle vanilla flavor)

PREPREATION

- Preheat oven to 425.

- Mix all ingredients together and pour into a well-greased 9×9 baking dish or muffin tins.

- Bake 20 minutes or until cornbread is slightly browned on top.

A few possible alternatives: swap shredded cheese and/or pimentos for sugar and add some spices for a more savory flavor.

Both the chilli and the cornbread freeze very well, so if you are on the look-out for great freezer friendly meals, this is one of them.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!!

Make sure to check out Our Big Earth for so much more good stuff!!

____________________________________________

IF you live in the Comox Valley, their is a link to the fabulous EARTH DAY celebration coming up too! We went last year and had a blast!!