http://mylifeinapyramid.com/2011/04/healthy-comfort-food-vegetarian-chili-with-red-kidney-beans-and-red-peppers/Healthy Comfort Food: Vegetarian Chili with Red Kidney Beans and Red PeppersMy Life in a Pyramid

Sometimes, a bowl of chili is what you need to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. I am entirely serious – some food has that kind of effect on people. It’s called comfort food. But usually the term ‘comfort food’ is associated with food that is greasy (fried in cheap rancid oils) or unhealthy – basically food that will make you anything but comfortable later on. Not so with my version of comfort food – which takes nutritional content into consideration … You do want to be in good health, don’t you?

I try to make comfort food much healthier so that I’m able to actually enjoy it during and (more importantly) after the meal is over. For example, instead of greasy boardwalk fries – a quintessential ‘comfort food’ for many people – I prefer making my own fries at home, either fried on the stove or even better, roasted in the oven with naturally-flavored salt or paprika. But what brought fries into this discussion … I was talking about chili! (Just like me to bring up my love for fries in any discussion related to comfort food, haha).

Vegetarian chili with red kidney beans, red peppers and parsley

The other day I decided to experiment a bit with the dried red kidney beans I had lying around at home. I also had a large red bell pepper that I wanted to use for an interesting, new recipe (though I included a few fresh pieces in a salad). I also had fresh parsley that I wanted to use up soon before it goes bad. Basically, I wanted to just mix all the forsaken ingredients in one glorious recipe. Luckily for me, I was able to think of a recipe that included all of the above, where all the ingredients complemented each other well! (I have been known to add random ingredients to a recipe just to make sure nothing goes to waste … not always the best idea – poor Sherif has had to deal with a lot of my “innovations” – but sometimes this experimentation and resourcefulness works to my advantage). I got pretty lucky with this vegetarian chili recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight in filtered water with a tablespoon of whey or apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grass-fed organic ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 3/4 large organic red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/3 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional – if you like it spicy)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian or curly parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 can organic tomato sauce (preferably in a glass jar)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon of asafoetida powder (for de-gassing the beans)
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• freshly squeezed lime juice (add to individual plate)
• tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (only add this on individual plate, can get pretty spicy)

Directions

1. Prepare the beans. Soak red kidney beans overnight in an acidic medium. Then, drain and rinse and add to large pot. Add 2 cups of water and some asafoetida powder and bring to a boil. Then, turn to medium-low heat and cook for an hour and half. Add more boiled water if the liquid runs low throughout cooking.
2. Prepare chili concoction. While the beans are cooking, warm a tablespoon of ghee in a separate large pot over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Add the chopped garlic, onions, red peppers, jalapeño pepper, oregano, and cinnamon. Sauté over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously so it doesn’t burn. Turn off heat and wait for beans to cook.
3. Mix the beans into the chili mixture. Add the drained beans to the mixture above, saute for a minute and then add enough of the retained water (from the beans while they were cooking) to cover the mixture. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or so until beans are tender.
4. Add the tomato sauce.  Add in a small glass jar of organic tomato paste and stir well. If mixture becomes too thick, add some more of the retained water, or if that’s all used up, add some boiled water to lighten. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5. Add condiments and serve. Right before serving, add fresh chopped parsley, olive oil, lime juice, salt, black pepper and pinch of cayenne pepper, all according to taste.

Spoonful of healthy comfort food

Though it seems a bit involved, it’s really a very easy recipe. You just have to find a hobby to learn while the beans cook, as they take a while. Learn to doodle or something. Then come back and mix in with the rest of the ingredients, and … tada, you’ll be done with the meal and ready to gobble it all up. Now, this is what I call satisfying and healthy comfort food! It’s also perfect for the Lenten fast – full of protein and vegetables to keep you full and happy … even on those blah days or if you’re not feeling too hot.

Also, it’s great to make a big pot of this and simply reheat for the following 2-3 days. That’s what Sherif and I did. I found that it keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. Makes a yummy lunch too!

Spoonful of vegetarian chili

Bon apetit!