illustration by eva hjeltel at peppercookies.com

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Label This.



"What are you?" is hands down the most common question I get. Followed by "Are you vegan? Vegetarian? Do you eat meat? What DO you eat?" Here's the answer: I eat what is right for my body and I don't believe that I should fit myself into someone else's stipulations aka label. (GASP) Vegan, pescatarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian... Your body needs different things based on it's physical activity, what climate you live in, what your age is and male vs. female. And to top it off, it all changes from day to day. So what happens if you eat outside your label's standards? Do you still consider yourself a part of that label?
For a while I didn't cook meat at home. I'd freely eat it out at a restaurant but cooking it just wasn't my thing anymore. But recently my body has been extremely tired, lethargic and craving meat. So I flipped through my favorite recipes and found this guy. It re-energized my body and made me feel ready to take on this cold weather (snow in October?! really?!) Talk about the perfect fall (or does snow=winter?) chili and it's easy to make. If you've got a busy week up ahead it's leftovers are just as fantastic as the first day, so make a huge pot and enjoy throughout your week.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili


Makes about 6 servings and takes about 45 minutes to make, start to finish including cleanup


Need:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground white meat turkey
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (I roasted a pumpkin like I did for the Pumpkin Bars)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used Eden Brand)


Do:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe via Whole Foods and image via Jess' iPhone

3 comments:

  1. This sounds delicious. I'm totally going to make this next week for dinner. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Yay. Been waiting for you to post this recipe. Can't wait to make it!! Thanks!!!

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  3. YUM! I just made this and am eating it now. The pumpkin in it adds just the right amount of texture and sweetness. I was too eager to wait on getting a jalapeno but I still made it with crushed red pepper flakes instead and it came out out great with just the right 'kick' Thanks for the great recipe, keep posting!

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