How to make turkey and bean chili with avocado salsa

Beans, with their wallop of sugar-lowering soluble fibre, should be on your menu weekly, and this full-flavoured chili is a great way to enjoy them. We lightened up the typical chili by using turkey instead of beef and gave it a boost with avocado salsa, full of good fat.

• Preparation time: 35 minutes.
• Cooking time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.
• Serves 8.

Ingredients:

Chili

• 340 g (12 oz) lean ground turkey breast
• 50 ml (1/4 c) chili powder
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin
• 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) dried oregano
• 10 ml (2 tsp) canola oil
• 300 g (2 c) chopped onion (1 large)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (127 ml/4 1/2 oz each) chopped green chiles
• 1 can (796 ml/28 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 can (398 ml/14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (540 ml/19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (540 ml/19 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Avocado salsa

• 2 medium Hass avocados, diced
• 150 ml (2/3 c) diced, seeded fresh tomato (1 medium plum tomato)
• 50 ml (1/4 c) finely diced white or red onion
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) minced seeded jalapeño pepper (1 small)
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh cilantro
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) lime juice
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the ground turkey with the chili powder, cumin and oregano in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat and mixing in spices with a wooden spoon, until browned, four to five minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, three to five minutes.
3. Add the garlic and green chiles. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, one to two minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth and browned ground turkey. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
4. Stir in the black beans and kidney beans. Return to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat until flavours have blended, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. To make the Avocado Salsa: combine the avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Toss gently to mix.
6. Spoon 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of salsa on each serving of chili. One serving of chili is 275 millilitres (1 1/4 cups) chili and 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) salsa. The chili will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.

Per serving:

• 327 calories
• 23 g protein
• 38 g carbohydrates
• 12 g fibre
• 11 g total fat
• 1 g saturated fat
• 17 mg cholesterol
• 748 mg sodium

Try offering a selection of garnishes, such as chopped scallions, lime wedges, hot sauce, reduced-fat sour cream and grated low-fat cheese, so your family and guests can personalize their chili bowls.