Turkey, Collard Green and Pinto Bean Chili

If you've been following along for some time you know I'm a one-pot fanatic.

The crockpot is my friend.

I love a big bowl of things like chili or stew.

I even devoted a whole category on the blog to "Chili-Like Ideas" because I don't know how else to categorize my one-pot adventures.

On the other hand, the family aren't big fans and The Husband is the worst of them all! So when he's away I always use it as an opportunity to expose the kids to my kind of favorite meals.

That's what I did last week.

It was Tuesday and the Husband had tennis practice. Sometimes we try to sneak dinner in as a family before he leaves but we couldn't make it happen. So I decided to seize the opportunity and make a one-pot meal.

When I served it, the 4-Year-Old immediately made his 4-year-old scowl and said, "I don't like this."  Of course he didn't even take a bite yet, which I nicely pointed out to him before turning into snippy, "just-eat-what-I-served-you" mom.

While we were having that back and forth, I looked over at the 10-year-old who was literally shoving spoonfuls in his mouth. So I said, "Look! Your brother likes it!"

Without skipping a beat, The 10-Year-Old said, "Yeah, it doesn't look like it would taste good but it does! You should try it!"

It helped The 4-Year-Old get the first bite down and then he proceeded to focus on the beans and grated cheese I topped it with. (Beans and cheese are two of his favorites.)

When all was said and done he ate about a half a cup.

I'll take it! If I learned anything from his older bother, every little bite and taste matter when raising a diverse eater. Consistency and patience paid off with kid No. 1, and I can only hope it will again because the 10-year-old is now a complete joy at the dinner table. I never thought I'd see the day!

Anyway, here's what I did. It was bowl of awesome and a great way to get some greens in the family. Especially my family who aren't too keen on cooked greens as a side dish.

• 20 ounces ground turkey (93/7)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 12-ounce bag frozen collard greens
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans
• 1 1o-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

Brown the turkey with the onion in a large pot.

Stir in the cumin, coriander, oregano and cocoa powder. Continue to cook for a few minutes allowing all the flavors to deepen.

Pierce the bag of collard greens to let some of the air out and then massage or bang it with a rolling pin to help break up the frozen collards. (My thought was the smaller the collard pieces the more of a chance the kids would just eat them -- I was right.)

Stir in the collards and cook for a few minutes defrosting them in the pot with the ground turkey and onion.

Once the greens are mixed in, add all the canned goods and bring to a low boil.

Cover and simmer for at least 25 minutes to cook the greens down and combine all the flavors.

Serve!

Approx Nutritional Information per serving

Servings	Amt per Serving
8	1 cup
Calories	Fat	Fiber	WWPs
220	6g	8g	old: 4	new: 5
Sugar	Sat Fat	Carbs	Protein
6g	0g	22g	18g