Healthier comfort food

Use ground turkey or chicken as alternative to beef.

By JESSIE GIRVIN

There is nothing like coming home on a cold, dark winter evening and sitting down to a hot, delicious meal that warms from the inside out. Ah, comfort food.

One of winter’s classic comfort foods is, of course, chili. Hot, hearty, meaty and spicy, home-cooked chili fends off the worst winter chill and feeds a crowd of hungry football fans quickly and easily.

However, even though it’s filling, chili doesn’t have to be a calorie-filled extravagance. By using low-fat white meats, such as ground turkey or chicken, or even a textured soy product, you can have a healthy chili that will satisfy even the most ardent carnivore.

The following recipe is chock full of hearty goodness that is easy on the wallet and a healthier alternative to traditional beef chili. Low-fat meat is better for your heart and waist, and the addition of iron-rich kidney beans adds a healthy serving of fiber that is missing from so many of our diets. Ground cumin adds a pleasant subtle flavor that pairs well with the meat. The addition of corn gives a hint of color and texture.

The best part? It’s ready in about 20 minutes with almost no chopping.

In addition, while this recipe is delicious as written, it is also very easy to tinker with. Want more texture? Add a can of black beans. More kick? Throw in some more cayenne. No corn in the freezer? Leave it out. Or, if you prefer, substitute the ground meat with low-fat turkey sausage. Whatever you add (or subtract) you can easily choose your own chili adventure.

Turkey chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 tsp. jarred, minced garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 lb. low-fat ground turkey or chicken
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. oregano
1 15-oz. can kidney beans
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
Cayenne powder to taste

Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add onion, cook for 2 minutes.
Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add chili powder and cumin, mix thoroughly.
Add ground turkey and cook until browned and all pinkness is gone (about 5 minutes).
Stir in tomatoes. Cover and heat to boiling. Add cayenne powder to taste. Add corn, simmer 3 to 5 minutes.
Add kidney beans and oregano. Simmer 2 more minutes.
Serve hot with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese.

Local Kitchens: Heavenly Fodder

Heavenly Fodder is a warm and inviting specialty shop on southern Elm Street in Manchester. The scent of fresh baking greets customers at the door of this small, light-filled shop. On any given day, owner and head chef Shannon McCarthy is behind the counter preparing a special-ordered cake or serving up a hot meal.

Heavenly Fodder is a unique food boutique that offers hot, healthy meals to go, but it is also part bakery and part retail store.

On the menu one day recently were marinated steak tips with sun-dried tomatoes, homemade chicken noodle soup, freshly baked gingerbread cookies and double chocolate cake. All hot, fresh and ready to go.

What makes Heavenly Fodder so special is not the exciting array of delicious, freshly prepared food, but how it is prepared. All of its products are gluten free and are made without MSG, hydrogenated oils or artificial preservatives.

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat flour, but it is also a known food allergen that causes a severe sensitivity in some people. McCarthy had a background in food, but had never considered gluten-free cooking.

At the behest of a friend, she started experimenting with gluten-free baked goods. McCarthy soon found delicious success and decided to go into business with her friend in May.

“The gluten-free foods that were available were dry, tasteless and very expensive,” McCarthy said. “We decided to create foods that were made with natural, nutritious ingredients that actually taste good!”

Business has been great this year, and a lot has changed. McCarthy is now the sole owner of the business and is already looking to expand. After the new year she will begin to wholesale her gluten-free baked goods. She also hopes to move into a larger space that will offer seating for customers.

Heavenly Fodder is located at 33 Elm St., Manchester. It is open noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. For menus and more information, visit www.heavenlyfoddermeals.com or call 668-1689.

– Jessie Girvin

In Season: Olives

Olives are a staple of Mediterranean diets and considered by many to be an aphrodisiac. Salty, bitter and oh-so delicious, olives have also been having their day in the sun lately.

In addition to perfectly complementing a Greek salad, olives are high in monounsaturated fats, the good kind of fats now considered by many health experts and dietitians to be good for the heart (and maybe even for the waist).

A native of the Mediterranean region, the olive is a small oily fruit that grows on a silvery leafed tree. Olive trees thrive in subtropical areas, including here in the United States, southern Europe and, of course, the Mediterranean.

Harvested throughout the winter, olives off the tree are quite bitter. Most of the harvest is sent right to the oil presses, but olives bound for our plates are soaked in a lye solution to draw out the bitterness and then packed in brine.

Although there are many varieties of olives, the final flavor of the fruit depends on how ripe it is when picked and the processing it receives. Green olives are less mature and underripe, while olives that are tree-ripened turn dark brown or black naturally.

Olives are available pitted, stuffed, whole, sliced or chopped in bottles or in bulk. Check the local market for an olive bar or pick up a bottle in the Italian aisle.

– Jessie Girvin

Want to talk about What’s Cookin’ in your kitchen or around New Hampshire? E-mail Jessie at whatscookin@thenhmirror.com.