80-- Edamame Chicken Chili

Edamame.  The tasty protein powerhouse of the plant world.  If you're not familiar with them (have you NEVER eaten at a Japanese restaurant?), they are immature soybeans. Most often you find them on menus in whole pod form, lightly salted and ready to have the peas "sucked" out of them.  There's really no other way to put it.  Find them in your grocer's freezer section, in or out of their pods.  Use the shelled versions to make your life easy when making this recipe.

Edamame Chicken Chili
Serves 5

2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 - 1 1/2 lb lean ground chicken breast
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dried green lentils
3 celery stalks, chopped
5 oz shredded carrots
4 oz can diced green chiles (or diced jalapeños if you like spice)
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (in refrigerated section)
2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
2 tsp garam marsala
2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp green chile powder (New Mexican variety works well)
2 cups frozen edamame
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
Fresh chopped green onions (optional)

In a soup pot, heat sesame oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook until fragrant.  Add garlic and chicken, sautéing until cooked through.  Add chicken broth and lentils.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes, or until lentils are softened.  Add celery, carrots, chiles, coconut milk, and seasonings.  Cook for 10 minutes, then add in edamame.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

While soup finishes cooking, combine cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water and mix to form a slurry.  Stir into the soup to thicken.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro and chopped green onions if desired.

Nutrition info per 1 1/2 cups: 390 calories, 13 g fat, 40 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber