Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Vegetarian Thai Chili

That's right, Betty did a vegetarian chili.  And guess what?  She liked it!!  The kids ate it too!!  So, I definitely recommend giving this a swing.  Credit goes to Clean Eating magazine's January 2011 issue.

1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup bulgur
1 sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups tomato puree
salt & pepper, to taste

In a heavy pot, add curry paste, cumin and a small bit of broth.  Mash mixture and stir until paste is free of lumps.  Add remaining broth, bulgur, potato and bell pepper.  Set over high heat and bring to boil.  Cover tightly, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add beans, coconut milk and puree.  Stir to combine.  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until bulgur is tender and chili is thickened.  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

This was quick and easy.  The best part was using it as a dip for a fresh piece of whole grain baguette.  Mmmm...  I told the kids the bulgur was similar to rice but just in balls and they ate it up.

I believe this is only the second time in my life I had a vegetarian meal, let alone prepare one myself.  It was very good, easy to prep, not too costly and is a keeper in the winter rotation.  Oh, and this makes a fairly large pot of chili.  The leftovers are even better!

Nutritional info as per Clean Eating:
Calories 341
Fat 5g
Carbs 68g
Fiber 17g
Protein 17g
No cholesterol!!

3 comments:

  1. You had me at Thai Chili... vegetarian or not. I am definitely giving this a whirl next week!!!

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  2. How old are the kids? This looks good, so they have good taste!

    The only thing I'd change up would be some other kind of bean to sub for the kidneys - yuck! bad childhood memories. Maybe black, garbanzo, pinto.

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  3. I hope you do Laura. I liked it - it could be spicier though. :)

    Hi Soos. Mine are 10 and 7. The 7 year old being super beyond picky. But I was happy they ate this. And yes, I think any bean would be great - even white. Hope you try it!

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