Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili

• 2 tbsp. avocado or olive oil
• 6 scallions, sliced, dark-green parts reserved for garnish
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
• 1 can (about 14.5 oz.) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1/3 cup bulgur
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• Sour cream, for garnish

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the white and light-green scallion parts, the bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, stock, beans, tomatoes with juices, bulgur, chili powder, and chipotle pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash and bulgur are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Divide the chili among bowls. Garnish with sour cream and the dark-green scallion parts.

Serves: 4

VERDICT: I made this to use up some scallions and a sweet potato (which I subbed in for the butternut squash) and was surprised by how much I liked it.  The bulgur adds nice texture.

Vegetarian Chili

• 2 tablespoons canola oil 
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions 
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers 
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic 
• 2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste 
• 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice 
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) 
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 tablespooon ground cumin 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 
• 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 
• 1 cup vegetable stock, or water 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 
• Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish 
• Diced avocado, garnish 
• Chopped green onions, garnish 
• Brown rice, to serve

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

Serves 6; 311 calories.

VERDICT: A lot of ingredients, but good. Keep.

Black Bean/Red Bean Chili

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup hot or mild chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 15.5-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.5-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. honey or maple syrup
• 2 5.5-oz. cans diced green chiles
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 14.5-oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cooked corn kernels (fresh or frozen), as garnish, optional

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrots and garlic. Cover and cook to soften the vegetables, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, beans, honey, chiles and water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cook until vegetables are tender and chili is thick, about 45 minutes. Stir in hominy, and cook to warm through.

 

To serve, ladle into bowls, and garnish with corn kernels, if desired.  

 

Serves 6; 380 calories.

 

VERDICT:  Not going to set the world on fire, but straightforward and incredibly easy.  Keep.

Black Bean, Lentil and Eggplant Chili

• 1/2 pound dried black beans, picked through
• 4 dried pasilla chiles or New Mexico chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 large cloves garlic, diced
• 3 dried cascabel or guajillo chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 dried chipotle chile peppers, stemmed (remove seeds for less heat)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 poblano chile pepper, diced
• 1 small eggplant (1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 15 -ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 15 -ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon vegetable bouillon
• 1/2 cup dried green lentils
• Juice of 2 Key limes (or the juice of 1 lime) 

Put the black beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water; set aside to soak overnight, then drain.

Combine the soaked black beans, 2 pasilla chiles, the bay leaves and half of the garlic in a large wide pot and add enough water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until soft, about 1 1/2 hours; remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 pasilla chiles and the cascabel and chipotle chiles to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, the chopped dried chiles and the cumin and saute until the chiles are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and the poblano and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 more minutes. Add the eggplant, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the crushed and diced tomatoes, 4 cups water, the bouillon and green lentils to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the prepared black beans and their cooking liquid and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 more minutes. (The longer you let the chili simmer, the thicker it will get.) Season with salt and add the lime juice. Remove the whole pasilla chiles and bay leaves before serving.

Serves 6-8.

VERDICT:  Way too much work and time for the results.  Plus, I hate recipes that use half a can of something--I suspect this recipe got halved for the magazine, but it's irritating.

Pinto Bean Chili with Corn and Winter Squash

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups (12-ounce) packages cubed butternut squash (about 5 1/2 cups)
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained 
• 3 ounces crumbled queso fresco (about 3/4 cup)
• 6 lime wedges

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add butternut squash and next 6 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender and chili is thick. Sprinkle with cheese; serve with lime wedges.

Serves 6 (1.5 c. chili, 2 T. cheese); 320 calories.

VERDICT:  Not spectacular, but not bad.  We didn't make it in the slow cooker, as ours is too small.  After adding the squash and remaining ingredients, we just cooked it on the stove for about 35 minutes instead.  We also liked it better with cheddar and sour cream than with the feta we substituted for queso fresco.  Keep.
 

Black-and-White Chili

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T. oil
• 1 T. chili powder
• 2 t. cumin
• 1/8 t. ground red pepper
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz. can hominy, rinsed and drained
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1/4 c. cilantro
• 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic in oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until tender, 10 minutes.

Stir in chili powder, cumin, and ground red pepper.  Add tomatoes, black beans, hominy and broth; cook 10 minutes.  Stir in cilantro.  Sprinkle each serving with 1 T. cheddar cheese.

Serves 6 (1 c.).

VERDICT:  Easy, easy, easy.  And not bad, despite some minor substitutions on my part (water for broth, yellow pepper for green, no cheese).  Keep.

Chunky Vegetarian Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Serves 8 (1 c.); 257 calories.

VERDICT: A perfectly nice and easy chili.  We also used it for nacho topping and taco filling.  Keep.
 

Veg-Head Three-Bean Chili

Chili:

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) olive or vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 cup pale beer or vegetable stock/broth
• 1 (32- ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans
• 1 (14-ounce) can dark red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne hot pepper sauce, several drops
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup spicy vegetarian refried beans

Toppings:

• 8 ounces (2 cups shredded) spicy monterey jack or smoked cheddar
• Chopped scallions, whites and greens
• Diced fresh seeded plum tomato
• Blue and red corn tortilla chips or black bean tortilla chips, for dipping

Over moderate heat, add oil to a deep pot and combine onion, peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Deglaze pan with beer or broth, add tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, and stirring to combine.

Season chili with cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, and salt. Thicken chili by stirring in refried beans. Simmer over low heat about 5 to 10 minutes longer, then serve up bowls of chili and top with shredded cheese, scallions, and tomatoes. Place bowls on charger plates piled with assorted tortilla chips.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:   The name of this chili is awful (that's Rachel Ray for you), but it was easy to make and tasted good.  I added the whole can of refried beans, but it was still really liquidy, so I added an additional two cans of whole beans, which helped.   Keep.

Strongbow Chili

• 1 package gluten-free soy chorizo, removed from casing and crumbled or chopped
• 1 can of black beans, gently mashed with a fork
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 T. ground cumin
• 2-3 T. chili powder
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bottle Strongbow hard cider
• 2 14 oz. cans fire-roasted tomatoes, diced, drained

In a big pot, over med-high heat, add chorizo to a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil and break apart with a spoon.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add black beans.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, to let flavors combine.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, cumin and chili powder and kidney beans.  Stir and let sizzle for 3-5 minutes.

Pour in Strongbow and allow to simmer for a few minutes, until liquid is reduced a bit.  Add tomatoes and stir it all up.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until you're ready to eat (at least 5-10 minutes).

VERDICT:  I edited this recipe a little bit, removing the "I LOVE cumin!!" editorializing.  It's fine, and is certainly quick, but requires some specialized ingredients.  Toss.

Vegetarian Chili

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 28 oz. cans tomatoes, cut up
• 3 15 oz. cans beans (kidney, black, northern, pinto, and/or garbanzo), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 3 to 4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. snipped parsley
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. bottled hot pepper sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 12 oz. can beer
• 3/4 c. cashew nuts
• 1 c. shredded Swiss, mozzarella, or cheddar cheese (optional)

In a 4- to 6- quart pot heat oil.  Add celery, green pepper, onion, and garlic.  Cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in undrained tomatoes, drained beans, raisins, vinegar, chili powder, parsley, sugar, basil, oregano, cumin, allspice, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce, and bay leaf.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours.  Stir in beer.  Return to boiling; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes more or to desired consistency.  Remove bay leaf.  Stir in cashews.  Sprinkle cheese atop each serving, if desired. 

Serves 8 (1.5 cups); 333 calories.

VERDICT:  The raisins and cashews were subtle; the beer definitely added flavor.  Keep.

Three-Bean Chili with Vegetables

• 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped carrot
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (6-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in 4 cups water and next 12 ingredients (through tomato paste); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until carrot is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and chipotle. Top with fresh cilantro, cheese, and sour cream.

Serves 16! (1.25 c. chili, 1 T. cilantro, 1 T. cheese, 1 T. sour cream)

VERDICT: This is really easy and feels chock full of health. I halved the recipe, and used the white wine vinegar I had rather than buy rice wine vinegar. It has a nice smokiness from the adobo, but it's not very chili-y, and maybe a little watery for my taste. Given the number of vegetarian chili recipes I have, there's a very high bar. Toss.

White Bean and Hominy Chili

• 2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (4-ounce) meatless Mexican chipotle sausage (such as Field Roast), finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chopped white onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 poblano chiles, seeded and chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 lime wedges
  

Mash 2/3 cup beans with a fork.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage, and sauté for 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and poblanos; sauté 6 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add mashed beans, whole beans, 1 1/2 cups water, and the next 4 ingredients (through hominy). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 4 (1.5 cups); 261 calories.

VERDICT: This didn't end up looking anything like the picture, which makes me wonder what I did wrong. It tasted fine--quite spicy--but was not as good as I'd expected, for having hominy and fake sausage. Toss.