If you’ve been following along here for awhile it’s probably no surprise I have a bit of a love affair with soups in the winter.

Soups are nourishing, warm and cozy, easy to make, require minimal cleanup (hello one pot) and make great leftovers — what’s not to love?!

One style of soup I’m particularly fond of in the winter is chili, but what I’m NOT particularly fond of is how I tend to feel after I eat it. Blame it on the beans, but for the most part they leave me feeling super full, gassy and bloated.

While I appreciate beans for their nutrient-density (rich in protein, b-vitamins and fiber) and affordable price-tag, they tend to be tough for many to digest.

Researchers and doctors attribute digestive issues linked to bean consumption with lectins, which are tiny proteins living in certain plants (like beans and legumes). This protein acts as a defense mechanism by making predators (animals) ill when eating them, and thus tends to affect us humans as well.

Now, I know this sounds kind of scary, but there are lots of ways to get around this, like pressure cooking your beans (Eden Organic is a brand that does this) or buying them dry and soaking/sprouting them.

You can also try eliminating them from your diet for two weeks to see how beans impact YOU specifically. Which isn’t hard to do with this Bean-Free Smoky Sweet Potato + Turkey Chili recipe. It’s incredibly thick, hearty and loaded with tons of flavorful, filling veggies that replace the beans seamlessly.

It’s also got some serious depth of flavor with the addition of a variety of seasonings, and tastes amazing when topped with sliced avocado, fresh lime, jalapeños, cilantro and lactose-free sour cream.

Put perhaps best of all, I feel pretty freaking fantastic after I eat it, and don’t have to worry about any uncomfortable/embarrassing digestive issues. Another feel-good recipe FTW!

Happy cooking loves,

xx //

Lauren

Bean-Free Smoky Sweet Potato + Turkey Chili

DF

GF

P

A paleo chili so rich, hearty and flavorful you won’t even realize the beans are missing, until you notice just how good you feel post-consumption.

PREP TIME:	TOTAL TIME:
00:00 Mins	01:00 Hours

• Author: Lauren Chambers

• Servings: 8

• Recipe Type: Entree

• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 1 package organic ground turkey (I buy Foster Farms in bulk from Costco)
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 yellow onion, minced and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce  (depends on how spicy you like it)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bitesize pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
• 1 heaping tbsp chili powder
• 1 heaping tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 12 oz can crushed tomatoes (look for brands without any added sugars)
• 1 cup canned tomato sauce (look for brands without any added sugars
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups spinach
• juice of one lime
• Optional toppings: sliced avocado, lactose-free sour cream, sliced jalapeños, cilantro, lime

Instructions

1. Place a large pot on the stove and bring to medium-high heat with 2 tbsp avocado oil.
2. Brown turkey until medium rare (barely pink in center), then add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in garlic and all spices and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Then add in chipotle peppers and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
4. Stir in sweet potatoes, bell pepper, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and veggie broth.
5. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally.
6. Cook until sweet potato is fork-tender and the chili has thickened, approx. 30 minutes (I simmered mine for an hour to really seal in the flavor).
7. Turn off the heat and toss in the spinach. This will cook really quickly. Then add in fresh-squeezed lime juice.
8. Load on your fave toppings. Chili will last about 4-5 days in and makes awesome leftovers.

Recipe Rated:

5/5 (2)

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