This Veggie Loaded Chilirecipe is packed full with healthy vegetables and fiber-rich beans – it’s great for any occasion from game day to a family dinner. It’s a diabetic-friendly recipe too.
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When we were first married, David was totally against having chili for dinner because he had it so much as a kid. I didn’t have it often as a child, so I welcomed the idea of chili for dinner, and I especially loved how inexpensive it was to make.
Over the years, David slowly started to accept the idea of chili as a meal. It mostly came about in 2009 or so when we started changing the way we ate. We wanted to eat healthy meals that didn’t always include a chicken breast, and making chili was a perfect fit.
The Veggie Chili recipe I am sharing with you today is very similar to the chili we’ve been throwing together for years, with one big (and delicious) difference: it’s loaded in vegetables. I never considered adding this many vegetables to our chili, but now that I’ve made this Veggie Chili, I’m not sure I could ever go back.
This recipe comes from the American Diabetes Association cookbook called Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking by Lara Rondinelli-Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE, and Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough. It contains a full year of menus and easy recipes. As I mentioned two weeks ago, I never would have considered using a diabetic cookbook for my own healthy eating. I would have just assumed that they are for those with diabetes, and if you don’t have diabetes, there is no sense in cooking with such recipes, right?
I’vequickly learned that diabetic cookbooks, like Healthy Calendar, have the kind of wholesome recipes that we need. The Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking cookbook includes hundreds of recipes too — all of them laid out according to month, which also includes weekly menus and shopping lists. As someone who loves timesavers and things perfectly organized, I am a huge fan of all of this.
Now, as I mentioned this chili is packed full of veggies. When you make it, be sure to prep everything beforehand and then it’s a breeze to cook up. For the zucchini, I cut it in quarters lengthwise and then sliced to give little triangle chunks. The carrots were peeled and then sliced in my food processor (you could do it by hand). The original recipe called for green bell peppers, but we decided to go with a red bell peppers, which definitely made this a colorful chili.
While you could have this chili anytime, I think it’s particularly great for game day. So often game day food isn’t the healthiest and while I love those things as much as the next person, this recipe is something everyone can enjoy, even if they aren’t losing weight or a person with diabetes.
I served our Veggie Chili with optional toppings, such as shredded cheese, light sour cream, sliced jalapenos and hot sauce for those who wanted it spicier. Of course, adding toppings willalter the nutritional content of the recipe. You don’t have to use extra toppings — this chili is delicious without extras —but everyone in our house liked creating their own chili masterpieces.
Veggie Loaded Chili Recipe
If eating healthier is important to you too, I encourage you to check out the catalog of American Diabetes Associationcookbooks – there is lots of great titles available for every type of cooking.
Here’s the full Veggie Loaded Chili recipe – be sure to pin to Pinterest for safe keeping!
This Veggie Loaded Chilirecipe is packed full with healthy vegetables and fiber-rich beans – it’s great for any occasion from game day to a family dinner. It’s a diabetic-friendly recipe too.
Ingredients
Scale
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
4 carrots (sliced)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 zucchini (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1, 16- ounce can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1, 16- ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1, 15- ounce can tomato sauce
2, 14.5- ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes in juice
Instructions
Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
Add onion and carrots and sauté 5 minutes. Add green pepper and zucchini and sauté another 2 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add chili powder and all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Notes
Calories 179 Carbohydrate 33 g Protein 9 g Fat 3 g Saturated Fat 0 g Dietary Fiber 10 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 492 mg
Before you add any liquid to your chili, make sure your vegetables (onions, bell peppers, garlic, etc.)are softened and the meat (ground beef, turkey, short ribs, or chicken) is well seasoned and browned on the outside. The meat and vegetables will continue cooking once you add the liquid and let the chili simmer.
Elevate your chili recipe by adding an extra layer of flavor. Cocoa powder, bacon, cinnamon, ground coffee and tomato paste will all add a rich sweet & salty flavors that are sure to surprise and delight.
All you need are a few cans of beans (I love kidney beans in my chili), veggies, spices and crushed tomatoes. To make this plant based chili you'll need: Veggies: we're adding onion, carrot, bell pepper, sweet potato and corn for the perfect mix of hearty veggies.
The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.
I like to use ale, but beef broth is popular. The truth is, there's so much going on in a typical chili, the liquid plays (or should play) a minor role in flavor. Major flavor players are the meat, cumin, dried chiles, hot chiles, onions, garlic, salt, oregano and sometimes cocoa. Water is fine.
Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.
Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.
Tomato sauce is not a strong a taste as tomato paste. Also, sauce will increase the liquid content of your chili ever so slightly. Tomato paste has a more full, rich, tomato taste and smell. Using either one is appropriate, but you will need to tweak your seasonings to suit your personal tastes, anyway.
I'm a firm believer that a pinch or two of cinnamon adds great depth of flavor to chili (looking at you Cincinnati Chili!), and I often pair my chili with a 'sweeter' bread like cornbread, challah bread, or Parker House Rolls.
Sometimes after a long simmer, your chili will taste wonderful be maybe missing one little thing you can't figure out. Try a tad bit of vinegar or a squeeze of lime! The acidity in vinegar & limes bring a good roundness to the pot and binds all the flavors together.
Traditionally, we expect a robust, spicy base, meat and/or beans, perhaps some bonus veggies, and a thick, rich consistency. Unlike soups, which are brothy, or even bisques, which are creamy yet thinner, chili is meant to be more stew-like; it's a definite stick-to-your-ribs creation.
However, canned beans are soaked in a canning liquid that can throw off your dish's seasoning and texture, so it's best to drain and rinse your beans before pouring them into your pot of chili. Canning liquid can also water down and dilute the flavors of your chili.
Cornbread is a classic and time-tested accompaniment to chili, and for good reason. The slightly sweet, toasty flavor of the cornbread will complement the boldly-spiced chili. And whether you prefer your cornbread to be served oven-to-table in a cast-iron skillet or baked as muffins, our recipes are sure to satisfy.
In Mexico, they make a green rice, using a long-grain variety flavoured with salsa verde. Paul also suggests trying an ancient grain such as quinoa or faro, as well as corn tortillas and condiments such as guacamole, salsas and sour cream. “Chilli con carne is very communal,” he says.
Some of the best choices for what to serve with chilli con carne instead of rice include sweet potato wedges, couscous, cauliflower and broccoli rice, tortilla wraps, fries, cornbread, mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, pitta breads, and quinoa.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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