Mexican food is one of my favorites, and is an easy cuisine to make healthy. In fact, I could probably eat Mexican food every day and wouldn’t get sick of it. Okay, maybe I would if I ate it every day. But that’s neither here nor there.

If you like Mexican food, I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s another one of my “one pot wonder” meals meaning that everything gets put into one pot. And that means less dishes. Who doesn’t love that? Once you get your vegetables prepped + chopped this meal can be made in under 30 minutes, so it’s perfect for a busy week night, which most of us find ourselves in anyways.

So when I think Mexican I think fajitas [and that’s usually what I order when eating out at a Mexican restaurant], so I started this dish out with your typical fajita vegetables: bell peppers, onions + mushrooms. I chose a red and green bell pepper for this recipe, but any two colors would work just fine.

[the veggies.]

Look at that color. Each different color of fruit and vegetable on the planet contains a varying amount of different vitamins, minerals + phytonutrients [a fancy word for plant nutrients] which serves our body in a variety of ways. A variety of color is key to a healthy, nutrient-dense diet so eat up.

[to the pot.]

No pre-packaged taco seasoning here. No way. There are too many “unknowns” floating around in those seasoning packets. Once you have some staple spices on hand, it’s easy to create your own seasonings. The flavors here are just chili powder + cumin. Two spices that I make sure to never run out of.

The butternut squash is almost the “misfit” of this dish as if it doesn’t really belong. But don’t be mistaken, the addition of squash adds an extra element of heartiness and a slight sweet flavor to an otherwise more salty dish. Plus with the added complex carbohydrates + fiber, this this dish will fill you right up. And when cooked, the squash almost melts in your mouth, adding another textural element.

[adding in the flavor.]

This isn’t a glamorous dish, but it is delicious. And it’s versatile. You can serve it as-is with a little fresh lime juice + hot sauce, or you can transform it into something else: [1] turkey tacos served with organic corn tortillas, [2] southwest turkey taco salad on top of mixed greens, [3] or even lettuce wraps. I had it in it’s as-is “skillet” form for dinner and the next day made a taco salad topped with a little salsa + sliced avocado. It was a perfect way to use up leftovers!

[the finished product.]

Instead of just plain hot sauce, I added a little of my own flare. I love to experiment with sauces. Sometimes they turn out great and sometimes not so much. But when they do, all I have to say is yum! I encourage you to have a little fun experimenting making semi-homemade sauces. And experiment with different flavor combinations. Not only will you have made a homemade sauce with real ingredients, but you can avoid the pre-made sauces that include too many of those questionable ingredients you find lurking on grocery store shelves.

For this sauce I blended up some chipotle chilis in adobo sauce [disclaimer: these can be very spicy] and tamed it down with the addition of honey and fresh lime juice. This sweet, spicy + acidic sauce went perfectly with my Southwest Turkey + Vegetable Skillet.

Check out the full skillet recipe and directions below!

Southwest Turkey + Vegetable Skillet

servings: about 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled + cubed [about 1.5 cups]
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ½ yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• squeeze lime juice

Directions

Heat oil in dutch oven or large pot on medium heat. Add onion + bell peppers. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until slightly tender. Add mushrooms, butternut squash, chili powder, cumin, sea salt + pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add ground turkey; stir + break up well. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes until squash is fork tender. Last, add spinach and cook until wilted. To serve squeeze with fresh lime juice and top with your favorite hot sauce.

Serving suggestion: this can be served on it’s own, in organic corn tortillas, on salad greens or in lettuce wraps. 

[dinner is served.]

Southwest Turkey + Vegetable Skillet

 

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Author: Angela Freed

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: about 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled + cubed [about 1.5 cups]
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ½ yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• squeeze lime juice

Instructions

1. Heat oil in dutch oven or large pot on medium heat.
2. Add onion + bell peppers. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until slightly tender.
3. Add mushrooms, butternut squash, chili powder, cumin, sea salt + pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add ground turkey; stir + break up well.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes until squash is fork tender.
6. Last, add spinach and cook until wilted.
7. To serve squeeze with fresh lime juice and top with your favorite hot sauce.
8. Serving suggestion: this can be served on it's own, in organic corn tortillas, on salad greens or in lettuce wraps.

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