Maybe pumpkin cheesecake pops?
Sorry, those were DOA, but the “cheesecake” didn’t go to waste. It found a new home as a fabulous version of pumpking cream cheese frosting. In its place, I have something even better: 3 Alarm Vegetarian Chili.
Skeptical? Give it a chance. You won’t miss the meat and I promise any lingering fall allergy symptoms will clear up temporarily. Well, with the exception of watery eyes, those may get worse. If you’re not a fan of spicy food, I’ll forgive you if you keep reading (I provided options to decrease the heat).
In addition to temporary allergy relief, vegetarian chili can boast of some pretty darn awesome health benefits:
- Black beans are a good source of fiber, protein, iron, folic acid & flavonoids
- Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene
- Garlic is excellent vampire repellant. kidding.
- Black strap molasses (yes!) can give you a calcium boost
So, armed with this information, I went into the kitchen to remake my favorite chili recipe into a healthy vegetarian alternative and I’d like to think I succeeded. I’ll let you be the judge.
Ingredients
the damage: 300 calories per serving (6 servings)
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 2 jalapeno peppers (for less heat, use 1)
- 1/4-1/3 cup chili powder (use 1/4 cup for a less pronounced flavor)
- 1 TBSP cumin
- 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
- 1 lbs red kidney beans
- 1 lbs black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 TBSP black strap molasses
Directions:
Heat your oil in a large stock pot over medium, while you wait for it to shimmer, dice your onion and smash the garlic. Add the onion first, cook until translucent (3-5 minutes), then add the garlic and saute until fragrant (30 seconds).
At this point, you’ll need to add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, peppers (diced with seeds removed), chili powder, cumin and cocoa. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Once 10 minutes has passed, add your beans, corn, vinegar, salt and molasses. Simmer uncovered for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. At this time you can serve, topping as you will (I used sour cream and extra jalepenos because I’m a masochist), or you can keep the chili warm and let the flavors blend for an hour or more.