Saturday mornings my husband and I spend a few minutes choosing the meals we will prepare for the week. This past weekend, I looked through my recipe file and decided I wanted to test Quick Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa. This is a recipe I had saved from an older issue of Cooking Light magazine. The photo of the prepared dish looks inviting so my husband agreed to give it a try IF I would prepare it! (Thankfully, we share cooking responsibilities!)
I was hoping this recipe would be a winner, meaning both of us would definitely want to have it again! Isn’t it fun when you try a new recipe and your spouse or guest looks up from the first few bites with a smile?
This recipe calls for lots of nutritious ingredients such as red bell pepper, green chiles, quick-cooking barley, black beans, avocado, and tomatoes. Red bell peppers (a sweet pepper) and green chiles (a hot pepper) are a great source of vitamin C. (I also added some green pepper to the recipe for color and nutrients.)
Barley is an excellent source of soluble fiber as are the black beans . Black beans are also an excellent source of protein and iron. Avocados may have a fair amount of fat but it is mostly healthy monounsaturated fat. And they are chock full of other nutrients. Tomotoes are another good source of vitamin C and other antioxidants.
Preparation and cooking of the chili and Avocado Salsa was indeed quick and easy, my kind of recipe! Also, it makes enough for six servings so we had plenty for another meal or two. I served this dish with Three Grain Tortilla Chips (all natural corn, cracked wheat, brown rice) made by Plocky’s. I don’t eat chips often but when I do these are a favorite! They are more nutritious than many chips and not too high in fat and total calories IF I watch how many I eat.
Would my husband like the vegetarian chili? I was pleased with the results, and I thought he might be also but you just never know! I watched him take his first few bites and then look up. There it was! A big smile! Yep this recipe gets two thumbs up!
Quick Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa
2 tsp. canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2/3 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
1/4 cup water
1 can black beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5-ounce) can vegetable broth
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
6 tbsp. reduced-fat sour cream
6 lime wedges
Serve with
Baked tortilla chips and Avocado Salsa
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; saute 3 minutes. Add chili powder and next 4 ingredients (chili powder through green chiles); cook 1 minute. Stir in barley and next 4 ingredients (barley through broth); bring to boil. Cover, reduce-heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until barley is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with sour cream, lime wedges, chips, and Avocado Salsa.
Makes: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili, 5-10 chips, 1 tbsp. sour cream, 1 lime wedge, and about 2-3 tbsp. of Avocado Salsa)
Avocado Salsa:
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled avocado
1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp. finely chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1. Combine all ingredients; toss mixture gently. Serve salsa immediately. Yield: 1 cup (serving size: about 2-3 tbsp.)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine (unfortunately the page I saved does not have the date)
Here’s the nutrient breakdown per serving:
Calories 285
Total Fat 11.5g
Saturated Fat 2.5g
Cholesterol 6 mg
Sodium 650 mg
Carbohydrate 42.2 g
Dietary Fiber 8.6 g
Sugars 2.5 g
Protein 6.7 g
Vitamin A 22%
Vitamin C 72%
Calcium 8%
Iron 10%
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