Black Bean Chili



Start to finish: 20 minutes

Yield: serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil

• 1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)

• 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash (for about 1½ cups chopped)

• 1 medium green bell pepper (for about 1 cup chopped)

• 1 medium red bell pepper (for about 1 cup chopped)

• 1½ tsp. ground cumin

• 1½ tsp. chili powder

• ½ tsp. dried basil

• 3 cans (16 oz. each) black beans

• l cup Mexican picante sauce or salsa, mild or hot

• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• Fat-free sour cream, grated reduced-fat cheese and minced fresh cilantro, to taste, optional for serving

Method of Preparation

Heat the oil over medium heat in a 4½ quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Cook the onion, stirring it from time to time, while you cut the zucchini into bite-size pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. Raise the heat to medium-high. Seed the green and red bell peppers, and cut them into bite-size pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. Cook the vegetables, stirring them from time to time, until they are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes more.

While the vegetables cook, add the cumin, chili powder and basil; stir the mixture well. Open the cans of black beans, pour them into a colander, and rinse them with cool tap water. Set the black beans aside to drain.

When the vegetables are tender, add the picante sauce and tomatoes with their juices; stir them well. Cook the mixture, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring them from time to time.

Add the drained black beans, and stir them into the mixture very gently so as not to break up the beans. Bring the mixture to a moderate boil, and then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low to maintain the slow boil. Allow the chili to cook, uncovered, until the beans are heated through and to develop flavor, about 5 minutes more. Season the chili with salt and black pepper to taste. While the chili cooks prepare the optional garnishes as desired.

Remove the chili from the heat, or simmer until you are ready to serve it. To serve, ladle the chili into bowls, and garnish each serving as desired with sour cream, cheese and minced fresh cilantro leaves.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving

|Calories |285 |

|Calories (from fat) |11 % |

|Carbohydrates |50 g |

|Cholesterol |0 mg |

|Dietary fiber |18 g |

|Fat (saturated) |1 g |

|Fat (total) |3.5 g |

|Protein |16 g |

|Sodium |745 mg |

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