It's time to cook up a bowl of chili.

And don't forget the beans.

(No smirking, please.)

Beans are a bona-fide superfood, loaded with antioxidants that help the body defend against heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines advise Americans to eat three cups of beans per week, and this chili is one way to help you reach that goal.

Compared with meat or cheese, beans are loaded with fiber: A ½-cup serving of Great Northern beans has 6.2 grams of dietary fiber, which slows digestion and helps avoid a spike in blood sugar.

Feeling full longer has its advantages. "Fiber will keep you full longer and make you less likely to fill up on the fatty foods on game day," says Carrie Mark, a registered dietitian and public relations spokeswoman for the Kansas City Dietetic Association.

Still keeping your new year's resolutions?

Beans also aid in weight control. A National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey found that adults who ate beans regularly weighed 6.6 pounds less than their non-bean-eating counterparts, even though they ate nearly 200 more calories per day. The bean eaters also had smaller waistlines and cut their risk of obesity by 22 percent.

Cooking tip: Pour the beans and green chilies into a colander and rinse for a minute under running water. Rinsing removes up to 200 milligrams of sodium.

White Chicken Chili

Makes 6 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½- to ¾-inch cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, rinsed and drained

2 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ cup frozen petite white corn, partly thawed

1 (15.8-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

6 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided, optional

1 green onion, chopped, optional

Pour olive oil into Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender, about 5 minutes; drain.

Stir in chopped green chilies, broth, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.

Stir in corn, beans and cilantro; simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top each serving, if desired, with 1 tablespoon shredded Monterey Jack cheese and chopped green onions.

Source: Recipe developed for The (Kansas City) Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

Per serving: 286 calories (19 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 50 milligrams cholesterol, 26 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 359 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.