White Bean Turkey Chili

As the weather is getting colder here in Central Pennsylvania, it is signaling me that it is chili season. Chilis and Stews are some of my favorite dishes. They are great from a food preparation standpoint as you can make a big pot at hte beginning of the week and then have lunches or dinners for the whole week. For example, on Sunday I made a pot of my carb controlled Texas Chili and I’m having it for lunch everyday this week (I’ll be the first to admin that I can be boring nutritionally and don’t mind having the same thing for lunch for a whole week).

Nutritionally chili is great because you can pack it with lean protein, beans, and lots of vegetables.

This past weekend we had some friends coming over for to watch football, so I took that as a perfect opportunity to come up with a new chili recipe to share with you. It turned out sort of a hybrid between a chili and a stew but everyone linked it so I hope you do to.

It is a unique recipe as it uses extra lean ground turkey instead of beef and white great northern beans instead of red kidney beans. But probably the most unique ingredient is okra. Okra is a pod from a flowering plant. I really like thick chili but most recipes use flour or corn meal (in the case of Texas chili) as a thickener. In my book, those are less than ideal options as I like to control carbs and grains (I know that they are used in small amounts but if I can avoid using them – I’d prefer to). Enter okra. Okra contains soluble fiber with can act as a great thickener.

White Bean Turkey Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds 99% lean ground turkey
• 1 lb okra, chopped, frozen
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 can diced green chilis
• 2 lbs turkey
• 2 can beans, low sodium, rinsed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 32oz low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Servings: 6

How to Prepare

Place a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is browned, but not cooked through. Once browned, remove turkey and place in a bowl on the side. Next add garlic and onions to pan, with oil and juices from turkey remaining. Cook over medium heat until the onions become translucent. Then add turkey back to saucepan along with tomatoes, okra (defrosted), beans, green chilies, and spices. Mix thoroughly and cook for 5 minutes. Add the water, broth, and bring to a boil. Once the chili is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.