Paula's Meatless (but you'd never know it) Chili

     Did you know that your heart beats about 100,000 times a day? That's about 35 million beats a year, and over two and a half billion beats in the average lifetime. Did you know that even at rest, your heart muscles work hard? Twice as hard as the leg muscles of a person sprinting! In one day, your heart pumps your blood a total of 12,000 miles- four times the distance across the US from coast to coast. That makes me tired just thinking about all of the work my heart is doing! (Heart facts from NOVA online.)

      This month, National Heart Month, is a good time to take a look at what you're doing to keep your hard working heart happy. One way to show your heart some love for all it does for you is to eat a heart healthy diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, a heart healthy diet limits unhealthy fats and sodium, includes low fat protein sources and is rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. This has been near and dear to me ever since hubby's heart attack and bypass surgery-  I'm always on the lookout for tasty recipes that fit the bill.

     Standing in the grocery checkout line, I saw this crockpot chili on the cover of a recent Woman's Day magazine. I had to have it. I even went back into the store and bought the ingredients I needed for it. I made it the first chance I had, and I have to say that it's a keeper. It's a low fat, meatless chili, full of beans, flavorful veggies and whole grains- wheat berries. I reduced the salt from the original recipe to make it even more heart friendly, and topped it with avocado.    

   This is the perfect vegetarian chili for a "dyed in the wool" meat eater. The wheat berries give it a toothsome texture, and if you didn't know better, you might even argue that a bit of burger was in there. Your heart will know it's not, though. The corn adds a little sweetness and a little pop of color, and the chipotle adds a smoky element.  Avocado is a great topper too, with healthy fats your heart will love.

     With the exception of soaking the wheat berries overnight, all you have to do is throw all of the ingredients into your crock pot, turn it on, and go about your business of the day. When dinner time rolls around, the intoxicating aroma of hearty chili welcomes you to sit down to a bowl of spicy goodness.You can heat it up as much as you want with extra hot sauce or even a couple of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo. I hope you get the chance to try this one- your heart will thank you!

You can find the recipe at the link below:
Paula's Meatless (but you'd never know it) Chili
Recipe from Paula Zsiray, Woman's Day magazine, February 2012
I made it mostly as written, but made the following changes:

• used fresh oregano instead of dried (because that's what I had!)
• used low/no sodium canned tomatoes and beans
• used diced tomatoes instead of puree (because that's what I had!)
• did not add any additional salt
• added a chopped chipotle pepper
• garnished with avocado

The recipe also says to wait until five minutes before serving to add in the beans, corn, pepper and hot sauce. I added everything in at the beginning and it turned out just fine. :)
I will definitely make this again!
Each serving has 360 calories, 2 grams of fat and 18 grams of protein.

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White Chicken Chili

    
     Who says chili has to be red? Not me. One of my favorite kinds of chili is this white chicken one, which really hits the spot when the weather starts getting cooler. Several years ago I was unable to eat tomatoes in any form, so this chili was  the one I turned to. I can eat tomatoes now but I still love this as a change of pace from the beefy tomato based ones usually associated with the name.  

     This is a heart healthy recipe, especially if you stick to low sodium chicken broth and beans. If you can only find regular beans, rinsing and draining them helps to remove excess sodium. (Another option would be to use dried beans that you've pre-soaked.) A heart healthy topping would be avocado, one of my favorites with any kind of chili. Spice it up with peppers and salsa, and it'll keep you warm from the inside out!

White Chicken Chili
3 chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 lbs.) cut into small cubes*
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 qt. chicken broth (homemade or canned)
2 small cans chopped green chiles (I used some Hatch chiles that I'd roasted and frozen- yum!)
1 bag frozen white corn (or canned)
3 cans white beans, drained**
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
cayenne or white pepper to taste (I love the spiciness that the white pepper gives it.)
For garnish:
shredded pepper-jack cheese
low fat sour cream
fresh cilantro
chopped avocado
salsa or hot sauce, green or red

• Saute chicken, onions and garlic in olive oil and spices.
• Add rest of ingredients (except cheese and other garnishes) and simmer on low for about an hour, or until flavors have blended well.
• Serve with shredded cheese.
• Top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, salsa or chopped avocado if desired.

*If you prefer, you can use cooked chopped chicken (a rotisserie would be handy) and add it when you add the beans.
**You can use any combination of beans you like. Great Northern are my favorites for this, but I've also used them in combination with Cannelini, Chickpeas, and even black eyed peas. Hominy is good in this also!

Sweet Potato Chili

  
 It's soup season here in my neck of the woods! We didn't have nearly as much snow as some areas did over the holidays, but we certainly had enough by my standards. With the cold, windy weather and the over-indulgences of holiday fare, I felt that a good healthful soup was in order. I found a recipe in Simple Vegetarian Pleasures that fit the bill nicely- It didn't hurt either that I had all of the ingredients! 

 I halved the recipe because I wasn't too sure how hubby would like meatless chili, but he gave it a "thumbs up!" The potatoes gave it a subtle sweetness that was perfectly tempered by the savory peppers, onions and spices. Loaded with heart healthy ingredients and beta carotene, it's a dish I'll definitely make again.

 This recipe as written is what I would classify as a mild chili. If you're more a fan of hot and spicy, you may want to add more chili powder or even some cayenne to "kick it up" a notch. That's between you and your taste buds though. :)

Sweet Potato Chili
adapted from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin
Ingredients (recipe is halved from the original)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1scant Tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
1 scant teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups water (1/2 cup more can be added to cover if needed)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with their juice
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 med-large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
chopped cilantro and avocado for garnish if desired
Directions

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Stir in the pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Sprinkle the chili powder and cumin over the pepper and onion and cook an additional 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Add all of the remaining ingredients (except for the cilantro and avocado) and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender. (mine took about 25-30 minutes) 
• Serve with cilantro and avocado if desired.
• Note: The original recipe called for a scant 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but I didn't add it. I also used "no salt added" beans, making the recipe even more heart healthy.
• Variation: (I'm going to try this next time.) Add 1/4 cup of quick cooking barley in with the rest of the ingredients.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

This post is linked to Cookbook Sundays on Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and Seasonal Sunday at Real Sustenance.