Turkey Chili with Adzuki Beans: Recipe

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I hope you had an enjoyable time with family or friends. I always find that Canadian Thanksgiving arrives too soon and that couldn’t be more true this year since the weather in Toronto was unseasonably warm during September and then all of a sudden the temps dipped to the low teens in October. I did have a pleasant Thanksgiving, which was scaled down with just my mom, my brother and two nieces. Everyone pitched in to prepare dishes so that we didn’t end up with one person being overburdened with the Thanksgiving meal preparation.

If you’re like me, you probably have turkey leftovers in your fridge or freezer. As delicious as roasted turkey tastes on Thanksgiving, it can lose its lustre once you’ve had the same meal for several days running. I definitely don’t want to throw out my leftover turkey since there are many creative ways to add turkey to other dishes. Turkey Chili with Adzuki Beans is an easy way to use those turkey leftovers up while presenting a new recipe that won’t bore the palates of your family.

I’ve chosen adzuki beans for this recipe because I follow the “Eat Right For Your Blood Type” diet and for my blood type O, adzuki beans are the only beans that are beneficial for my health. If you’re not familiar with adzuki beans, they are a small, red bean that has a sweet and nutty taste. In fact, the Japanese the Japanese use adzuki beans to make a sweet dessert paste. And when it comes to health benefits, adzuki beans are a nutritional powerhouse. Not only are adzuki beans a great source of iron, which promotes healthy blood cell function, these small beans also contain potassium, which regulates your heartbeat and lowers blood pressure. If you are diabetic, adzuki beans contain a protein that inhibits the enzymes that break down complex carbohydrates, thus controlling your diabetes. Not least of all, adzuki beans are a great source of protein: ¼ cup of adzuki beans contains 11 grams of protein! If you have trouble digesting other beans such as kidney beans and pinto beans, you might want to try Adzuki beans. Adzuki beans do not contain as much starch and phytic acid as other beans, making them easier to digest.

If you want to save some time, you can use canned adzuki beans in this recipe and avoid having to soak the dried beans overnight. The canned adzuki beans taste just as good as the dried adzuki beans.

Please let me know in the comment section if you make Turkey Chili with Adzuki Beans.

Turkey Chili with Adzuki Beans

Turkey Chili with Adzuki Beans is a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 35 mins

Total Time 1 hr 45 mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup adzuki beans
• 4 cups filtered water
• 4 cups chicken broth I use Campbell's No Salt Added Chicken Broth
• 1 pound cooked turkey pulled
• 32 oz diced tomatoes
• 5.5 oz tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• sour cream or plain yogourt (optional)
• fresh chives chopped (optional)

Instructions

 

• Soak adzuki beans in 4 cups of filtered water overnight.
• Rinse adzuki beans and place in 4 cups of chicken broth in saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add cooked turkey, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika and cumin to adzuki beans and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Saute onion and celery in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in separate saucepan until translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
• Add onion-celery-garlic mixture to turkey and adzuki beans and simmer, uncovered for 20-30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Taste and add more of the spices if necessary.
• Serve turkey chili in bowls and add a dollop of sour cream or yogourt if desired, topped with fresh chives.