Christmas Lima + White Bean Turkey Southwest Chili (Vegetarian Option as Well)

This is one of those "get rid of everything in your fridge and pantry" meals, don't you love those? Never has freeing up some space in your home been so deliciously rewarding.

It all started with the Christmas Lima. Lewis and I have been eyeing these for years now, with their bright red and white appearance we thought it would be the perfect dish to make Christmas day - yeahhhh with a four hour drive and family craziness beans were the last think on our minds come Christmas so there they sat, alone and unused.

We finally used half and made some traditional southern style beans n' greens, these beautiful beans are slightly nutty in flavor with a firm texture, and although their color isn't nearly as vibrant when cooked, they still brought something unique to the table.
This time around, I wanted to try and incorporate them into a different dish (plus we had left over navy beans from this dish) . If you don't have the time to use dried beans you can always sub out the traditional red kidney beans for this recipe - just reduce the cooking time.

I did my best to record measurements whilst making this chili but because I used dried beans it required a little more liquid, I added about 1 cup of chicken stock - if you're using canned beans instead I would start off omitting the chicken stock and then if it's too thick for your liking you can always add the stock later on.

Christmas Lima + White Bean Turkey Southwest Chili

serves 3-4

1 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 (14.75oz) can of whole yellow corn, drained
1 medium sized onion, diced small
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
16oz of ground turkey (for the meat eaters - I used 85/15 and drained most of the fat)
1 cup dried Christmas limas (that have been soaked overnight)
1 cup dried white navy beans (that have been soaked overnight)
2-3 TBS red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
splash of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth - if needed)
Shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions for garnish

Directions:
1. In a sauce pan, cook the turkey until no pink is showing (because I made 2 kinds of chili I kept my meat separate) season with salt and pepper. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 2 min. (I added some fat from the turkey for extra flavor). Add spices and mix on heat for about a minutes (this toasts the spices and enhances flavor).

2.To the onion garlic spice mix, add tomatoes, corn, beans, and 1 cup chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 35-50 min. stirring every 10 minutes or so.

3.Serve hot, garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Dried Christmas Limas

*Christmas lima picture from Zursun Idaho Beans