In addition to her awesome physical prowess and quick sense of humor, Heather Gibbons is also a whiz in the kitchen. She has created a fabulous Zone-friendly chili recipe that’s quick and easy to make, uses readily available ingredients, keeps well in the fridge for several meals during the week, and is absolutely delicious. This has become a regular staple meal for several of us.

With this or any other recipe, you can always make Zone-equivalent substitutions. For example, this recipe can also be made with lean, grass-fed ground beef, or a mix of that and ground turkey. We’ve also sometimes substituted yam for the red beans. Just look up the block counts of the foods you want to replace and add and make sure you stay on target.

Gibbons Zone Chili

20 oz. ground turkey breast
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 2/3 cup onion, chopped
1 1/3 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup red beans
1 cup black beans
Several cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Muir Glen “Roasted Tomatoes with Medium Chilis”
1 can Hunts “Tomato Sauce with Roasted Garlic”
Spices:
--Cayenne pepper
--Cumin
--Ground Roasted Red Chili
--Salt
--Pepper
Shredded pepper jack cheese (optional)

Sauté garlic, onion, and bell pepper until tender. Add turkey and zucchini and cook through. Add all other ingredients and season to taste. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.

1 ½ heaping cups (plus slightly less than 1 oz. shredded jack cheese) = 3 Zone blocks