Healthy Recipes: Half-Hour Chili

Yield: 6 servings, about 1 1/3 cups each

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe Description:

This truly tasty half-hour vegetarian chili is made possible by using convenient canned beans and tomatoes (no pantry should be without them). Whole-grain bulgur adds another layer of toothsome texture and nutritional heft. This chili is relatively mild, so it’s a good crowd-pleaser. If you like it spicy, add extra chili powder or serve with hot sauce.

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 tablespoon canola oil
2. 3 medium onions, chopped
3. 1 carrot, chopped
4. 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper
5. 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6. 1-2 tablespoons chili powder
7. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1 28-ounce can plus one 14-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped, with juices
9. 1 teaspoon brown sugar
10. 1/4 teaspoon salt
11. 2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, rinsed
12. 1/3 cup bulgur (see Note)
13. 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt for garnish
14. 1/3 cup chopped scallions for garnish
15. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Recipe Steps:

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrot, jalapeño, garlic, chili powder to taste and cumin. Cook, stirring often, until the onions and carrot are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes with their juices, sugar and salt; cook for 5 minutes over high heat. Reduce heat to low; stir in beans and bulgur. Simmer until the chili is thickened, about 15 minutes.
3. Garnish with yogurt, scallions and cilantro, if desired.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

Note: Bulgur is made by parboiling, drying and coarsely grinding or cracking wheat berries. Don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which is simply that—cracked wheat. Since the parboiling step is skipped, cracked wheat must be cooked for up to an hour whereas bulgur simply needs a quick soak in hot water for most uses. Look for it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets, near other grains, or online at kalustyans.com, buylebanese.com.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 217 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 1 g added sugars; 10 g protein; 13 g fiber; 697 mg sodium; 854 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (49% daily value), Vitamin C (43% dv), Potassium (25% dv), Folate & Iron (24% dv), Magnesium (20% dv)

2 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat