Theo and granddaughter Maddie enjoy baking together.

Theo Page and her husband Toby travel often to visit family members. Last March they left their New Hampshire home to visit their son and his family in Burbank, California.

“I like to cook for my kids when I visit,” explains Theo. “I thought I had everything I needed for a chili meal but realized too late I was actually missing quite a few ingredients. Fortunately, I’d brought along a jar of Penzeys Chili 9000 as a gift. There were green and red peppers and some ground turkey I found in the refrigerator. What evolved was a very light but tasty chili.”

Theo brought the “Burbank Chili” home with her to New Hampshire. It is a favorite in her family now, and outside of it, too, as Theo cooks for many of the people in her life.

“We make this a lot—most recently for our book group, all of whom want the recipe (and the Chili 9000),” says Theo.

“It’s a light version of the usual chili. My husband and I do try to cook low-fat meals—and this can be considered one.”

Burbank Chili

This is a nice healthy chili from Theo Page.

• 11/4 lbs. ground turkey
• 3 TB. olive oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 tsp. MINCED GARLIC
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (or add 1 tsp. each BASIL and OREGANO and 11/2 tsp. MINCED GARLIC to plain tomatoes)
• 1/2 Cup red wine
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
• 3 TB. CHILI 9000
• 3 TB. chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 Cups cooked rice

In a large stew pot, brown the turkey in 1 TB. of the olive oil. Separate the chunks with a spoon or fork. Put the cooked meat in a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the stew pot along with the bell peppers, onion and garlic and sauté lightly. Return the meat to the pot before the veggies get soft. Add the canned tomatoes, BASIL and OREGANO if using, wine, vinegar, salt, PEPPER and CHILI 9000. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice, using 1/2 cup rice per serving.

Nutritional Information: Serving Size 11/2 cups (332g); Calories 350; Calories from fat 100; Total fat 12g; Cholesterol 55mg; Sodium 770mg; Carbohydrate 40g; Dietary Fiber 3g.