Lettuce Talk Turkey

Turkey has its place at the table, and not just during the holiday season. A great substitute in dishes that typically call for ground beef, ground turkey is a lean and tasty source of protein that will surely fill your meat craving, so long as it's done right.

Look for ground turkey breast; if it's not all white meat, it is likely to be made with the skin and dark meat sections of the bird, which raises the saturated fat content considerably. Also, make sure you flavor the meat well with lots of herbs, onions, garlic, spices, etc.--anything that tastes good on your tongue.

Here I use ground turkey to make a fantastic chili:

Saute chopped onions and cubanelle peppers (Italian sweet peppers--feel free to use green bell peppers if that's more your style) until they are soft. Then throw in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Season generously with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, hot sauce (all this pepper action is absolutely optional. I like my chili spicy), cumin, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, and a little bit of barbeque sauce.

Add the ground turkey breast and cook almost all the way through, breaking apart the chunks into smaller pieces. Now pour in a can of diced tomatoes, a can of beans (rinsed thoroughly), and frozen corn. Stir it all together, put the heat on low, and allow all the flavors to meld. If there is some tomato juice still sitting at the bottom of the pot after everything is done hanging out, mix some cornstarch with a little water, add to the chili, and stir; this will thicken the liquid.

Enjoy this delicious, heart-healthy chili on its own, or with a piece of cornbread.