#290 Healthy Southwest Ground Turkey Wraps By: V

At times I'm an unconventional grocery shopper, tossing aside a grocery list to take a look at the the deals at my local grocery store and at what piques my creative side and hungry side.  Last week on my grocery trip I thought I would opt for a healthy option...ground turkey.  Ground turkey is great for meatballs..ground turkey curry...meatloaf, basically any ground meat recipes can benefit from a healthier ground turkey replacement. I tend to lean toward things wrapped in a tortilla...I figured this week my dinner option would be a turkey wrap with a  southwest twist.  Adding Chia Seeds allowed me to counteract all the bad eating I do over the weekend, what with dinners with friends and all!

This weekend I tried out Barcelona Wine Bar in the Logan Circle neighborhood of D.C. for some tapas and sangria.  One friend, an Argentine, mentioned that a common dessert in Argentina is crepes filled with dulce de leche (a thick caramel) and topped with chocolate sauce....lo and behold they happened to have that very dessert at the restaurant, and it was phenomenal!  This afternoon I had brunch at Belga Cafe in the Barracks Row neighborhood of D.C.  Belga Cafe hosts an array of belgian food and is well known for their various sweet and savory waffles.  We had the lobster omellette, a sage waffle with duck stew, and a sweet waffle with caramelized apples.  The food options at both restaurants were limitless, so needless to say I will be going back...and needless to say, these turkey wraps are a healthier option I could use this week!  At the bottom of the post is a picture of all our eats (well halfway through all of our eats) from Belga Cafe.

2 tablespoonds extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sized tomato

1 cup chopped red onion

1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic

3-4 green chilis

2 red sweet chilis or 1 small red bell pepper
15.5 oz can of black beans (cooked)

Dry Spices

3 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon oregano

2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon red chili powder

Finish Up With...

Tortillas

Avocados

Salsa

Sour Cream

Lettuce

On medium heat, heat up crushed/grated garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Add in red onion.  Once the onion is translucent add in the ground turkey and cook the turkey through.  The pink color will go away and it’ll be a grey/white color.  Then add all of the dry spices, chopped chilis – both hot and sweet, black beans, and chopped tomato.  Cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, until all the liquid is evaporated.  Taste and add in hot red chili powder or more spices to your taste. 

Also, if you’ve ever heard of Chia Seeds, they are a new super food full of omega fatty acids, and something you can incorporate into different food.  It’s flavorless so it won’t add any additional flavor.  This is a great recipe to add in some chia seeds!

Chia Seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  The seeds are great for all types of people, they reduce blood pressure and can control blood sugar.  I know my mom started off incorporating flax seeds into her food, which have the same benefits, but chia seeds have become her's and my new healthy alternative!

Put two large spoonfuls in the middle of a tortilla...top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, and salsa and enjoy!