Cold Weather Eats

Winter has settled in here in Northern California, and that means fog, moderate amounts of rain, and temperatures in the low 40's. (I know. Unbearable, isn't?) Even if we aren't shoveling snow from our driveways out here along the Pacific, it does get a bit chilly, and let's face it: Cold weather just doesn't say "salad" to anyone. So this week, the Missus and I were looking for some comfort food to warm us on these San Francisco nights. And, just after the holiday's onslaught of fatty, rich and carb-heavy foods, we needed something healthy-ish.

I stumbled upon this recipe from Cooking Light while ignoring my responsibilities at work the other day. It is your pretty standard chili recipe, but for one little twist: The recipe calls for chopped prunes. I know, it didn't sound right to me either. Turns out someone over there at Cooking Light knows what they are doing.



Turkey And Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Lbs. ground raw turkey breast
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 1/4 cups water
12 whole pitted prunes (about 1/4 lb.), chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, undrained



Cook turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain into a colander.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 7 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and red pepper; cook 1 minute. Return turkey to skillet; stir in 2 1/4 cups water, prunes, and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 - 10 minutes. Serve Turkey-and-Black Bean Chili over wild rice.

To add my own spin on the recipe, I used smoked salt from Seattle's Market Spice in place of standard table salt. It gives that little something extra. Enjoy!

Note: The pictures used in this post were, um, "borrowed" from Google images. Thanks, Google!