This vegetable and res bean chili is very easy and quick to prepare. The unsweetened chocolate added to the chili is unrecognizable but it adds depth and smoothness while blending the flavors. I chose to combine zucchini with butternut squash, feel free to use any other combinations of summer and/or winter squash. For the winter squash make sure that it is pre-cooked before adding it to the chili. You can steam it or bake it in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes (or until a knife can go through – leave skin on and rub with a bit of oil). When the zucchini and squash are added to the chili I let it cook for only 5-10 minutes since I prefer the vegetables on the crunchy side. A great side dish for vegetable chili is corn souffle.
- 1 cup of finely chopped onions
- 1 cup of chopped red peppers
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ¼ cup of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1½ - 2 (14.5 oz.) can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped with juice
- 2 cups of cubed zucchini
- ½ - ¾ cup of cubed butternut squash (pre-cooked but still on the hard side)
- 1½ - 2 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1½ - 2 tablespoons of grated unsweetened chocolate (I use Baker's chocolate)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup of vegetable stock (add more if too thick)
- salt
- Saute onions, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeño in oil in a large pot over moderately high heat, stirring, until vegetables softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add chili powder, cumin, and salt, cook for another minute.
- Add tomatoes with juices and stock. Let it boil for 10 minutes at medium heat.
- Add zucchini, butternut squash and simmer partially cover for 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in beans and chocolate and simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 10 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, cook for couple of minutes
- Serve
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