Omnivore

The problem with using ground turkey in chili is that the chili ends up tasting not like chili. It just doesn’t have that hearty low note that beef or pork gives. I’ve been working on trying to figure out how to add that flavor without upping the fat. The chili I made has no additional fat. The only fat comes from the very lean ground turkey.

I decided that using ingredients that have umami would be the best way to achieve my goal. I diced up a bunch of crimini mushrooms and sauteed them in the pot right after I had browned the meat. I added a little tequila and let that reduce. Then I put in the rest of my vegetables one at at time – onions, red bell pepper, pasilla chile, fresno chile and garlic. I added about 1/4 cup of various spices. Then about 3 oz. of tomato paste. Next three kinds of beans – black, red kidney and cannellini. Then two cans of diced tomatoes, the browned turkey and a little V8 to get it to the right liquidity. Oh and all along I was seasoning it with salt as a put each ingredient in. But it still wasn’t quite right. So I added two capfuls of soy sauce another ingredient that has umami and a half lime, squeezed. Before putting the whole thing in the oven to simmer, I added a half of a dried chipotle pepper and two dried arbol chiles. It cooked slowly in the oven for a couple of hours.

When serving, I topped it with some sliced green onions and cilantro. I enjoyed having the arugula with it. The arugula has a nice bitterness and the acid from the salad dressing brought some tartness. So here’s a dinner that is pretty healthy – low in fat and high in fiber – and very filling. Plus there’s some left for tomorrow!

Turkey chili with arugula salad

I know what you are thinking when you look at the picture – Where’s the cheese? Cheese is not the dieter’s friend. Mostly it is really high in fat. So the amount of cheese I’ve eaten in the last year is minuscule. I’ve had to ask myself, what is it that cheese adds to a dish that I like. And the answer is salty flavor. So instead of using actual parmesan, I just sprinkle some salt on top. Zero calories.

John made the chicken in his usual way searing both sides and the edges and then popping it in a low oven until it read 155 degrees on the thermapen. I doctored up some jarred sauce with some fresh oregano and red pepper flakes. I also put the pepper flakes and the fresh oregano in the broccoli. We boiled up a few ounces of whole wheat penne and assembled the dish.

I am trying to make this week more interesting. Fish tacos, chicken parmesan and, tonight, chili. After being on this diet for 50 weeks, I am getting tired of the same old thing. Hopefully these dinners will keep me on track.

Chicken parmesan, penne and broccoli

My portion size was three ounces of chicken, 2 oz. (uncooked) of penne, 1/2 cup of sauce, and 1+ cups of broccoli.

Yikes! Chicken again? In an attempt to show what I actually eat on a day to day basis, it’s difficult not to have the same thing come up again and again. I do, however, promise bison this coming week. What makes this chicken dinner lazy is that I bought the chicken pre-cooked from the grocery store. I’ve decided that their rotisserie chicken is much better than any whole chicken I could cook at home. So while I prepared the broccoli and pressure cooked the rutabagas, John made some gravy and sliced up the chicken. In about twenty minutes we had a lazy chicken dinner.

Store bought chicken in gravy with rutabagas and broccoli

I have been sick this week and didn’t feel much like cooking or eating. On top of that I am scheduled to have a diagnostic test next week which puts me on a low-fiber diet. Low-fiber, not a really good thing if you are trying to feel sated while eating low-calorie. So probably I am going to pretty grumpy for the next five days.

Anyway, this dinner is a throwback to when I was growing up. At our house we always had mashed potatoes. It really didn’t matter what else was being served. Green beans were always the vegetable of choice. In the New Jersey summers my father would grow green beans along with his tomatoes and lima beans. He had the most impressive tomatoes. He grew them in cages and they would top 6 feet high and were resplendent with delicious red orbs. I think he loved those tomato plants more than his kids.

Once again I digress. I made the mashed potatoes with russet potatoes and whipped them with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Light” and a quarter cup of low-fat milk. I made Brussels sprouts for John, and I frenched a bunch of green beans just for me. The gravy is from a packet and weighs in at about 20 calories for 1/4 cup. John did his usual masterful job on the chicken. So low-cal, low-fiber dinner = success.

Pan roasted chicken with frenched green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy