My first recipe post. This has been a favorite of colleagues when I bring it to work on a cold winter day. It has also been repeatedly requested for an annual board meeting of environmental professionals. Make a big pot for game days or stew it up on a Sunday to last for lunches throughout the week. It freezes well in serving size containers for quick meals on the fly.

Veggie-Bean Chili

1 eggplant peeled and diced
3 cups chopped carrots (fresh)
3 cups chopped green beans (fresh)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup chopped celery
3-6 cloves minced garlic
2-3 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
2-3 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans black beans
14-ounce can tomato puree
14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
several cups tomato juice
vegetable stock
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes
1-2 tablespoons smoked paprika
salt/pepper
olive oil

1. Sauté the onion and celery in olive oil until soft and add the garlic and spices and sauté for another minute. You can go easy on the spices at this point and add more later to suit your own taste. I like my chili fairly smoky and spicy and that is reflected in the quantities above.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute or two.
3. Add the eggplant and stir it about to coat the eggplant with the spices.
4. Add the beans, carrots and fresh green beans. If using frozen beans, add those later with the corn and peas.
5. Add the tomato puree and crushed tomatoes and pour in the tomato juice to cover the vegetables plus another couple of inches. You can add more or less depending on how thick or thin you like it. Let this simmer on the stove until the veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness.
6. Add the corn and peas and heat through.

Notes:

It should take 1-2 hours depending on how al dente or soft you like it and how low you let it simmer. It also works very well in a slow cooker set low all day. You can add the corn and peas when you get home from work.

This makes a rather large pot and I have the quantities as they are so that the ratios are good in proportion to an average sized eggplant. You can cut it down as desired by finding a small eggplant or only using half. It freezes really well and I freeze meal-sized containers for easy and homemade lunches to take to work.

You can use dried or canned beans and whatever variety you like. In this recipe, I prefer a combination of kidney and black beans. I also like to use the 15-bean mixed bag of dried beans. If using dried beans, you will want to soak them overnight and then par cook them before adding them with the eggplant. They will take much longer than the eggplant and carrots to get soft if only soaked and not par cooked and you will end of with mushy veggies while you wait for the beans to get done.

You will need more or less tomato juice and/or vegetable stock depending on taste
and also on the eggplant. Some release or absorb more liquid than others. When raw, it seems like a lot of eggplant, but it does cook down. I like to thin mine a bit with some vegetable stock.

If you like the chili seasoning packets, you can use those too instead of the spices I mention.

If your family doesn’t care for beans, you could leave those out and add the “beef” crumbles instead for the protein. If you prefer a simpler bean and meat chili, you can leave out the vegetables (#3 & #4) and add crumbles and adjust the liquids and spices to suit. If you do this, I would add 1 cup of finely chopped carrots to the onion and celery mixture for more depth of flavor in that base.

Serve it as is or over rice or quinoa, with cheddar cheese, sour cream or whatever your family enjoys. A cheddar and jalapeno corn bread goes along great with this dish. Beans combined with rice is a complete protein and combined with all of the vegetables, this is a highly nutritious dish.

If you are watching your weight, this is a very hearty and tummy-filling meal that registers low in calories and fat and high on veggie intake! That certainly leaves room for corn bread, desert or wine/beer without guilt.