Oh the weather outside is frightful...

No really. It amazes me, the city of Philadelphia will send thousands of plow trucks out when theres 2 inches of snow on the ground, and yet, of course, after a foot (plus) of snow these trucks are nowhere to be seen. Maybe you saw one heading to the KFC-Wendys-Arbys trifecta on Aramingo- not to plow snow of course- it IS the weekend after all. Anyways, while traveling to the supermarket five blocks away seems like dragging myself through the tundra, I instead turned to brainstorming about how I can basically stay as lazy as possible and still create something better than cereal- CHILI. Chili is unbelievable for the person who really would rather just couch-it all day- it takes about 20 minutes to put together and all it needs is one pot to cook in. Aaron, my fiance, loves that he doesn't have to labor over dishes for an hour (ie: shoving everything in the dishwasher - do you know that most of the time that does NOT clean them? Who taught man this? whoever you are f*%$ you.)

As a future dietitian, people are always asking me (although I hardly know it all yet) what "good" food options are... my answers are pretty simple. To me, calories are the wrong guide to live by. Yes, oreos might be a bad choice for 3000 of your calories but something filling and delicious like a bowl of chili for 300-500 calories does not constitute a 'waste' of caloric intake versus chicken noodle soup for 200 calories. What is going to fill you? You don't need as large a portion of chili and it helps you stay fuller...longer...EUREKA! What is going to stop you from being starving three hours later? I'll tell you something, its not chicken noodle soup- its something rich in protein such as my deeelicious...turkey...chili. I swap proteins around a lot- and flavors- add cocoa powder and chipotle, add tomato and poblano peppers, possibilities are pretty much endless. For ground meat options I lean towards bison or turkey, or you can always go to three-beeean. 90% of chili ingredients are items you commonly have in your cabinets- black beans, canned tomatoes, spices- other than planning ahead and freezing your ground protein there is little thought that goes into it. Unfortunately you do have to get off of your ass and go get an onion- i'm sorry, most corner stores these days have at least an onion- seriously- get up.

OK- so here's how its done:

1 yellow onion, diced
1 poblano pepper- seeded and diced
1.5 lbs ground turkey (can do 1 lb- depends on amount of people- tonight we were 3)
1 chipotle pepper from chipotles in adobo sauce (can find in many grocery stores)
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs chili powder
1/2 tbs ancho chili powder
1/2 tbs smoked paprika
1/2 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1, 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
5 cups chicken stock (low sodium or homemade is best!)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 handful chopped parsley
1 handful chopped scallions (toppings)
1 bunch chopped radishes

Step 1: Preheat a large/deep pot or dutch oven (reserve giggles) on medium heat for about one minute, add 2 tbs of grapeseed oil (or whatever you choose). Chop your veg. Dice your onion, seed and chop the poblano pepper- add the poblano pepper, saute for 2 minutes, add the onion, let soften stirring occasionally to make sure no browning occurs- around 5 minutes.

Step 2: add your turkey and give it a quick toss with the veg- then add your chipotle pepper and spices, in any order.

Step 3: Add tomato paste and tomatoes, saute for 1 minute, then add your stock- bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer on low heat- about 30-45 minutes until most of the liquid reduces, stirring frequently.

I'm winking- normally my face looks very slightly better than this

Step 4: Add your black beans and parsley, give it a stir, taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking... and VOILA! You have delicious, hearty, filling- chili. Top with a dollop of greek yogurt (my go to sour cream substitute) fresh radish slices, and scallions. 

ENJOY.