Happy Saturday everyone! It is a cold day here with temps this morning in the low 40’s today and a high of 51. Fall is definitely upon us. :-p Given the cold weather I thought chili would be the perfect thing to make today for lunch. You can use any veggies you like in this just dice them finely so they easily fit on a spoon. Here is what I did:
Vegetable Chili with Beer Topped with Guacamole
Serves 6 generously
Chili Ingredients:
4 cups diced peeled tomatoes
4 cups tomato sauce
12 ounce beer
2 onions, peeled and finely diced (allow to stand 10 minutes after dicing before heating)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (allow to stand 10 minutes after dicing and before heating)
2 carrots, finely diced
3 medium eggplant, finely diced (approximately 3 cups)
4 medium yellow squash or zucchini, finely diced
2 tablespoons no salt seasoning
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon oregano, dried
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ tablespoon chili lime seasoning
1 dash liquid smoke
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups white beans with cooking liquid (I used beans I cooked myself without salt)
1 tablespoon wine vinegar at the end of cooking to lift the flavors
Modified Guacamole Garnish Ingredients:
1 avocado, flesh mashed with a fork
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated or finely minced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup fresh minced cilantro
¼ cup tomatoes, finely diced
½ cup cucumber flesh and skin (no seeds), finely diced
freshly ground black pepper to taste (we prefer Tellicherry)
Directions:
Combine the chili ingredients except the wine vinegar and beans and simmer until the veggies are tender. I cooked mine about 2 hours. When you are getting ready to serve add the beans (and bean cooking liquid) and simmer until the beans are hot. Add the wine vinegar just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
For the guacamole combine the ingredients and stir to mix. Season the guacamole with black pepper to taste.
To serve, top the chili with the guacamole.
Nutritional Information (1/6th of the total recipe):
Amount Per Serving
Calories - 314.83 **
Calories From Fat (18%) - 57.16
Total Fat - 6.81g
Saturated Fat - 1.02g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 919.32mg
Potassium - 2064.72mg
Total Carbohydrates - 54.34g
Fiber - 19.26g
Sugar - 18.88g
Protein - 13.6g
** The calories are overstated by the alcohol in the beer that evaporated during the lengthy cooking. Since I had no way to calculate this effectively I left all the alcohol calories in. I would rather overstate than understand the calories.
Comments:
This was a nice robust chili. I think I like chili better when it has more vegetables than beans which I didn’t expect. I don’t think the beer added much to the flavor of the chili but it was worth the experiment. Everyone liked this chili, my elderly omni parents included. I am sorry I didn’t make more as we don't have much leftover.
Signing out:
Time for me to log out and spend time with my hubby. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Talk to you all again soon.
What kind of beer did you use? This sounds like something I'd like to make and work with - I'm not a huge bean fan (or fake meats when other people put those in chili) but the amount of vegetables looks like it makes it nice and chunky!
ReplyDeletefoodfeud,
ReplyDeleteI used Amstel but I think veggie stock would have been just as good. There is a website which tells you which brands of beer and wine are vegan. Barnivore.com
Have a good evening,
Ali
Enjoy your time with your hubby! Chili with guacamole on top looks wonderful. FYI, on my car trip the other day, I went through your blog and made an "Ali shopping list" with lots of your recipes to try. I kept showing my husband different pictures, telling him you're the healthiest blogger I know.
ReplyDeleteJenny,
ReplyDeleteI am happy I can help. If you have questions about any of the recipes please ask, I am happy to share anything I have learned.
Once you have been faced with cancer being healthy seems to come more easily. But I am sure you understand what I mean. ;-)
I hope you are having a good weekend,
Ali
I love the addition of the lime - yum. I bet that really brightens the flavors. I hope you're having a great evening!
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteThe lime does make a big difference but then again you know me and acidity. ;-)
You were up very late last night or we turned it early. Maybe it was both.
hope you have a great Sunday and stay warm,
Ali
This looks scrumptious on this cold, rainy day...just what the doctor ordered! xoxo
ReplyDeleteAimee,
ReplyDeleteIt is a good cold weather meal. At the moment it is frightfully cold here. I even broke out the boots and gloves today for running errands.
hugs,
Ali
Yum--I love a good veggie chili. I am glad your parents enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteCourtney
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteI knew this was right up your alley. We enjoyed it so much we had the leftovers for breakfast. That worked well after our very cold trip to the farmers' market.
Ali
This looks really good. I made chili today and it could have used more vegetables but I wasn't sure what would go in it. Chili is a favorite at our house but we typically use canned chili starter from Bush's - I am trying my hand at doing things from scratch and dealing with the seasonings. Your recipe looks so good I might use it as a guide. My parents also like chili and will be visiting soon -- maybe I can try this out on them :)
ReplyDeletemmmmm...your chili sounds so good!!!
ReplyDeleteI recently made chili featuring a nice dark fall beer (recipe coming this week), and was able to notice it in the finished product, though my batch of chili was probably half the size. I think the eggplant is a fantastic idea, I don't believe I've ever seen that in chili before.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteGreat point about a dark beer coming through better in the final flavor. I was hoping for a subtle background but the beer got lost in my chili. Next time I may try dark beer.
I used eggplant because it was in the frig but I think many different veggies would work in chili. I often use mushrooms and thought the eggplant would have a similar texture which it did.
talk to you later,
Ali
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThanks it worked out well and was even better the next morning for breakfast. I love that about leftover chili and soup. ;-)
Ali
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to reply. Yesterday was crazy for us.
In terms of veggies in chili I think there are many that would work. In addition to those I used here diced mushrooms are excellent. You can also use zuchini, butternut squash, cauliflower, and potatoes that you add at the end. I hope that helps.
If your parents like heat (my mother doesn't) you can add chipotles in adobo. I also add a little cocoa powder and cinnamon sometimes (depending on my mood). Since you want to experiment with the seasonings start light cook the base for 15 minutes then taste and adjust. That is how I do it.
hope you have a good Tuesday,
Ali
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteSorry it took me so long to reply. Yesterday was crazy for us.
In terms of veggies in chili I think there are many that would work. In addition to those I used here diced mushrooms are excellent. You can also use zuchini, butternut squash, cauliflower, and potatoes that you add at the end. I hope that helps.
If your parents like heat (my mother doesn't) you can add chipotles in adobo. I also add a little cocoa powder and cinnamon sometimes (depending on my mood). Since you want to experiment with the seasonings start light cook the base for 15 minutes then taste and adjust. That is how I do it.
hope you have a good Tuesday,
Ali