Salsa Chili

Unlike macaroni and cheese or fried chicken, chili is one of the few hearty comfort foods that’s also super healthy. Whether you make it vegetarian with lots of beans or use high-quality meat, it’s always filled with vegetables and antioxidant-rich spices. This approach takes it up another notch by using lean ground turkey and simplifying the process. While other recipes require hours of chopping and simmering, this one is crazy quick. Despite the simplicity, it does still include a creative flourish: cashews. Bet you’ve never had these delicious nuts in chili before…but you likely will again.  

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 ounces lean ground turkey
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄4 teaspoon chili powder
1⁄2 cup jarred, chunky red salsa
1 1⁄2 teaspoons coarsely chopped, roasted cashews
1⁄4 cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add garlic and turkey.
2. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to break up the meat and prevent sticking, until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Add the cumin, chili powder, salsa, and cashews, stirring to combine. Cook 1 minute.
4. Stir in the beans and continue cooking 1 more minute, or until heated through.

WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE Lean ground turkey and kidney beans (which are also a great source of iron) provide protein, and there are plenty of antioxidant-rich spices. The “comfort food” designation also may be more literal than you realize: Cashews are a great source of zinc, a mineral that plays a major role in managing the body and brain’s responses to stress.