Black Bean - Salsa Chli

I've made a lot of chili recipes in the past few years. A lot. They are always vegetarian, full of beans, and easy. I always like them, but I never love them. This recipe comes from Cooking Light, and it's not vegetarian. It calls for ground turkey and smoked bacon, which I omitted from the recipe, because I can't bring myself to get on the bacon wagon. Anyway, this is easy, much like my other chili recipes, only this one is about one thousand times more delicious. Now, I think adding bacon, would have added a smokey saltiness that I would have adored, but we are not pork eaters, so I skipped it. Instead, I added a new Penzey's spice, called "Arizona Dreaming," which is a Mexican inspired blend, that has a nice smoky bite. The end result was a really high flavor, yet mildly spicy chili. It was thick and meaty, with a perfect amount of beans. This was the first time I've tried eating a chili with meat, and now I know what all the fuss is about. It lends such a nice texture to the dish. This was a great, low fat dinner, served over brown rice. It will be a great dish to serve for casual dinner guests in the Fall and Winter (well, at those who we know like chili), and I can easily whip it up for my family at the drop of a hat. Winner!

Black Bean-Salsa Chili

(Adapted from Cooking Light - See mods in italics)

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup chili and about 4 teaspoons sour cream mixture)


2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Cooking spray
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices, chopped (skipped it!)
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups mild salsa
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth (I used chicken broth)
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (I didn't make the sauce, so I skipped the last 3 ingredients)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups beans, 2/3 cup water, and sugar in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine bean puree and remaining beans in a bowl.

2. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove turkey from pan.

3. Add onion, bell peppers, and bacon to pan; cook 5 minutes or until bacon and onion are lightly browned. Return turkey to pan. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper to pan; stir well to coat. Stir in bean mixture, salsa, tomato paste, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Combine sour cream, cilantro, and juice in a small bowl. Serve chili with sour cream mixture.

CALORIES 199 ; FAT 6.2g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); CHOLESTEROL 34mg; CALCIUM 88mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22g; SODIUM 740mg; PROTEIN 14.8g; FIBER 5.9g; IRON 2.6mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2009