Have a “svelte” Super Bowl (with recipes, links, and Jon’s turkey chili!)

With Super Bowl Sunday almost upon us, we thought we’d end the week with a little pre-game round-up. I’ll start with the big guns: My friend Jon’s out-of-this world chili recipe. Ever since I first tried it (on a freezing cold winter day), I’ve been hounding him to spill the secret, which he does at the bottom of this post. The flavors are so spot-on and the end result so satisfying, I was truly shocked at how easy–and healthy–it is. Warming up to that, we’ve scoured the Internet for even more tips and recipes that promise to be as delicious as they are simple and good-for-you.

SG’s All-Star Weekend Playlist:

*We’re big fans of kale over here (it’s great for fiber, iron, and calcium), and these kale chips from Wicked Tasty Harvest (one of our favorite food blogs) look pretty unbeatable.

*Simple, delicious guacamole from Epicurious.com (to go with the kale chips).

*Just looking at Eatingwell.com’s slideshow was kind of mouthwatering. This link goes to the baked onion rings–a very cool idea that got some great reader feedback.

*Health.com has a whole slideshow of things to make (complete with calories per serving). We liked the look of the Smoky Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dip.

*Okay, admittedly, this is mostly just entertaining. The CDC has posted some Super Bowl health tips for men. Among them: “Stay warm.”

*Love the NYT’s Mark Bittman? Want to know what he’s serving this Sunday? Wonder no more (hint: he’s a Saint’s fan).

*Not a link at all, but a great tip from Camille: “I make a little “mocktail” out of club soda, a splash of tonic water if it’s around, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. You can add a little Splenda to make it sweet, although I like it a bit bitter myself. It’s all of 10 calories and is a good stand-alone drink or alternative to the standard ‘have water between each drink.’”

And with that, I’ll let Jon take it away. Here’s the recipe, in his own words…

Jonathan Hoffman’s Amazing, Sure-to-Please Superbowl Sunday Turkey Chili (good for about 15 bowls)

Bringing together different friends is a passion. Preparing a great meal relaxes my mind. And, watching a big sporting event is thrilling and potentially dramatic. I hope that you’ll enjoy this awesome and healthy party recipe as much as I do. A few pointers: I never strictly measure my ingredients. I use basic proportions and push the spice to the point where one taste produces a bead of sweat over the brow, yet the hearty, fresh taste compels you to dig in for more! My only rule is–buy everything possible from the local green market. Types of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic will vary depending upon what is available.

Ingredients:
-A dozen medium size onions, minced
-3 pounds turkey (chef’s choice Di Paolo Farm Fresh)
-Two dozen peppers, maximum assortment, spiciness and size (equal numbers of sweet peppers, bell -peppers (all colors), poblano, habanero, jalapeno), minced
-Two 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes (fresh tomatoes are hard to find during the Super Bowl)
-3 garlic bulbs (Rocambole garlic (hard neck) is great – milder, buttery, still assertive)
-1 spice jar (82 g) of chili powder
-1/4 spice jar (7 g) of cumin
-1/4 spice jar (20 g) of cayenne
-Many turns of the black pepper mill
-1 bottle of beer (chef’s choice, Harpoon IPA)
-Healthy sprinkles of sea salt (or, for garlic fans, garlic salt)
-A few pinches of crushed red pepper
-A few pinches of celery salt
-A half-dozen turns of the cinnamon mill

Directions: (Prepare everything in the large chili pot.)
-Warm olive oil at low/medium heat and slow cook onions, turkey, peppers, tomatoes, 1/3 of spices, and pressed garlics. I typically start with the onions, then–when they’ve softened–I’ll add the turkey. As the turkey starts to cook up to medium rare, I’ll pour in the spices, then slowly integrate the peppers, tomatoes, and garlic.
-Add the second 1/3 of spices and let simmer; after 30 minutes of simmering, add the remaining 1/3 of spices according to taste.
-Add beer gradually (ie at a couple of stages) over the course of simmering. Add cinnamon during the second-half of simmering to provide subtle balance to spice.
-For best results simmer for at least 2 hours.

*Serve with grated cheese (chef’s choice, Vermont cheddar) and chopped red onions.