I’ve been making Black Bean Chili With Chocolate for years, but for some reason, I never got around to posting it here on the blog.
I personally don’t give a hoot about football, but I know lots of you out there feel differently; I figured I’d post the chili now because if you’re planning your game day festivities and you’re looking for a vegetarian dish, you might want to add this to your menu.
In the past, I’ve made a similar vegetarian chili in my slow cooker, and that recipe is great if you like to get dinner started in the morning and have it ready without any additional fuss later in the day. The chili you see here relies on pantry staples and not much else, however, and can be ready in less than an hour if you make it in a pot on the stove, so I think I’ll keep making it this way from now on.
You can brown 1 pound of organic grass-fed turkey or beef and add it along with the beans, if you like, but my family prefers vegetarian chili, so I didn’t include the meat this time. The cocoa powder and the dark chocolate added at the end result in a rich and somewhat mysterious flavor that I really like; If you don’t fancy the idea of chili with chocolate, just leave it out.
One last note: I believe it is healthier to use soaked dried beans than it is to used canned ones, but I rarely seem to remember to soak mine the night before. If you’re on top of that sort of thing, please do use soaked and pre-cooked dried beans here.
Recipe for Black Bean Chili with Chocolate
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*1 large white onion, peeled and chopped
*3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
*3 carrots, peeled and chopped
*3 stalks celery, chopped
*1 hot red or green chili pepper, minced
*two 25 oz. cans organic black beans (or use kidney beans), with liquid
*one 28 oz. can organic ground, peeled tomatoes
*3 tablespoons chili powder
*1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1 tablespoon organic, fair-trade, unsweetened cocoa powder
*2 tablespoons 60-70% dark chocolate, preferably organic and fair-trade, grated- optional
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil over a medium flame in a large soup pot. Add onions and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for another minute.
2. Add carrots, celery, and hot chile to the pot along with the beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir well, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 45 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and mix in the cocoa powder and optional grated chocolate. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary, before serving.
4. Serve as is, or topped with garnishes such as shredded cheddar cheese, minced green onions, minced cilantro, diced avocado, fresh salsa, and/or sour cream.
More delicious looking chili recipes:
Chipotle Chocolate Vegetarian Chili from What Would Cathy Eat
Turkey Pumpkin Chili from Cara’s Cravings
Vegan Chili from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Everything Chili from Eclectic Recipes
Vegan Lentil Chili from Kalyn’s Kitchen
It’s Friday: time for another “One Simple Change” post! If you are new to my One Simple Change series, here’s the deal: every Friday in 2012, I am blogging about healthy lifestyle tips gleaned from my years studying and practicing naturopathic medicine. As much as I love sharing recipes, I enjoy sharing other information related to health and wellness, too; these posts are a way for me to do just that.
Today I’ve got a follow up to last week’s discussion of fats and oils. I received a bunch of questions about which fats and oils to use when, so I felt it made sense to spend more time on this topic.
If you read part 1 last week, you know that I am all for the use of natural fats and oils (aka traditional fats and oils), and that I don’t recommend using the more processed, newer, “man-made” fats and oils that are touted as healthy (ie margarine, shortening, and certain vegetable oils), but which in reality, are not.
The information here is based on my own research and experiences cooking and eating this way for many years now…I hope this post helps to clear up any confusion you have about how to use healthy fats and oils in your kitchen, but if not, shoot me your questions and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Let’s start with general cooking: i.e. sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, etc…techniques where you are using heat that ranges from low to high (but not as high as deep frying). The best fats and oils for these purposes are going to be those that are saturated and monounsaturated, as these are the most stable (ie they have a pretty high smoke point) when heated to moderately high temperatures: butter, organic coconut oil, and olive oil.
When I was growing up, I always felt bad about eating butter. And coconut oil? I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten foot pole. You’ll still find many sources that say you shouldn’t eat these fats because they’re saturated, but there is also a ton of recent evidence that says not only are these fats not harmful, they are actually health promoting. I use butter and organic coconut oil all the time in my kitchen. Last week I told you that it’s best to use organic butter and I stand by this statement, and if you can get not just organic, but grass-fed butter, you are extremely lucky indeed…it’s full of vitamins and a special fat-burning nutrient called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). But if you can’t get grass-fed butter or you just can’t justify spending the money on organic butter, then it’s still better to use regular butter than it is to use butter substitutes and some of the vegetable oils.
Organic butter to me is like a treasure- it’s expensive, yes, but that just makes me savor it all the more. It’s really the best fat for baking, and the flavor is incomparable. As for organic coconut oil, I just adore it: I use it in dishes with an Asian flavor profile (stir-fries, Asian soups and stews, etc), and I like experimenting with it in baked goods, too. It’s also great for cooking eggs. The only potential issue is that it does have a somewhat pronounced coconut flavor which not everyone loves (my husband, for example, is not a fan). That said, if you enjoy the taste but are still wary about using butter and/or coconut oil, know that these are said to be the best fats to ingest if you have blood sugar issues (even better than olive oil); organic coconut oil also has a reputation as being useful for weight loss: this one is my favorite
.
Unlike some of the other traditional fats and oils, olive oil has always a good reputation health-wise. It isn’t saturated; it’s a monounsaturated fat. While many people think that olive oil is not suited to high heat cooking, olive oil has long been used for every type of cooking in countries like Spain. This makes sense because olive oil has a high smoke point. I personally use olive oil a ton in my kitchen. I cook with it daily, bake with it on occasion, and use it just about every time I make salad dressing. I am happy to see that Diana of A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa wrote a post and made a video about the right way to cook with extra virgin olive oil. Note that to preserve the healthful properties of olive oil, it’s very important to bring it up to higher temperatures slowly (if the oil starts to smoke, it’s too hot), and that it’s not appropriate for deep frying.
Now let’s talk about animal fats like lard, duck fat, and tallow (rendered beef fat). These are quite suitable for cooking and baking, and in some circles (among those who eat “paleo”, for example), these fats are actually preferred to butter and olive oil for general cooking, especially high heat cooking. This article by Pete Wells for Food and Wine entitled Lard: The New Health Food sums up cooking with lard quite nicely; it’s really time people let go of the fear of cooking with this useful fat. I am not talking about the highly refined lard, etc. you can find in a typical grocery store, though. I am talking about lard rendered from the fat of grass-fed pigs, and the other animal fats need to come from pastured animals in order for them to be healthy, too. Always remember that when eating animal fats (and all animal foods in general), the environment in which the animal was raised has everything to do with whether or not the fat or meat of that animal will be good for you. The fats (and meat) of pastured/grass-fed animals have a completely different nutritional profile than the fats (and meat) of animals raised on a feedlot.
If you want to eat animal fats (and meat) that are healthy, you need to buy them from a local farm or a butcher that sells grass fed animal products. I personally don’t use animal fats in my kitchen all that much, but pie crust made with pastured lard is fantastic, as are potatoes roasted in duck fat. I don’t have any experience with tallow. I will say that I was previously using grapeseed oil for frying (which I only do on occasion for latkes and a few other foods), but in researching this piece, I’ve decided not to use grapeseed oil at all anymore (because it’s rich in vitamin E which really shouldn’t be heated; it also likely contains GMOs); from now on, whenever I do fry something, I am going to use pastured lard.
What about cooking with peanut and sesame oils? My feeling is that these are fine, though peanut oil is high in omega 6 fatty acids, and most people already consume too much of these. Sesame oil is better drizzled onto foods then it is as a cooking oil because it’s pretty fragile, and what you’re really after is its wonderful intense taste, which gets lost when you cook with it. Macadamia, pumpkin seed, and rice bran oil are other examples of oils that are fine for cooking at moderate temperatures; avocado is yet another, and I was surprised to learn it has a very high smoke point. Make sure that any oils you buy are cold pressed and unrefined, and don’t contain GMOs.
I often see recommendations that it’s healthy to cook over high temperatures with canola, cottonseed, soy, sunflower, and safflower oils. I don’t agree with this at all because all of these cheap oils are generally refined, bleached, and deodorized. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to put stuff like that into my body. “Vegetable oil” is generally a mixture of refined oils- and is best avoided, too (note that unsaturated oils like canola oil are actually quite fragile, and really aren’t suited for high temperature cooking because they are prone to oxidative damage at high heat…I don’t recommend using canola oil at all in the kitchen, but if you really want to use it, only use it uncooked; if you do cook with it, don’t use it over moderate heat).
Unlike the refined, mass-produced, cheap oils mentioned above, flaxseed oil, as well as almond oil, walnut oil and other oils from nuts and seeds you would eat, are quite healthful, and are perfect for using cold: these are best in salad dressings and drizzled over cooked dishes. These oils are quite fragile, so should not be heated, and should be purchased and used when they’re as fresh as possible. Flaxseed oil, in particular, must be kept refrigerated and should be used up within a month or so because it goes rancid quickly. A good quality flax oil will always have the bottling date and the “best before” date printed on the label. As for flax seeds- I think these are best ground fresh, and used raw. Though I have added them to baked goods on occasion, I don’t think this is ideal.
One last note: don’t forget that along with figuring out the best ways to use healthy fats and oils in your kitchen comes the need to be aware of what fats and oils are in prepared foods you buy, as well as food you eat when you’re not at home. Read labels of all packaged foods and be sure to avoid anything with partially hydrogenated oils and/or trans-fats, and know that when you eat in a restaurant, the fats and oils used might be questionable (depending on where you eat).
Did I leave anything out? Please let me know if you still have questions. Is having this information helpful for you? Will it change the way you cook and eat? Are you “in” to this weekend One Small Change?
Sources consulted for this post:
The Diet Cure
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book: Protect Yourself and Your Family from Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies – and More
I had such a nice weekend: it finally snowed so I was home most of the time hanging out with my family, and had a chance to clean and organize a bunch of areas in my house that desperately needed attention. I also got to cook a couple of delicious new dishes.
These wonderful Chickpeas with Delicata Squash, Kale, and Coconut Milk were adapted from the recipe for Chickpeas with Pumpkin, Lemongrass and Cilantro, which can be found in the lovely book Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch
by Nigel Slater.
I think it’s an exquisite vegan meal: not quite a soup or stew, since there’s only one cup of coconut milk and a smaller amount of water here (and the liquids mostly cook off). The chickpeas and vegetables have a silky texture and wonderful coconut flavor, spicy from the fresh chiles but not too spicy, and not at all complicated, since I did not raid my spice rack to make this dish like I sometimes do.
If you prefer a “soupier” meal, you can certainly double the amount of the coconut milk and add more water; if you prefer a more complex flavor profile, herbs/spices that would be nice here include lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ground cardamon, coriander, and tumeric. I served this over short grain brown rice, but I think quinoa would be great, too.
The quick chile sauce is optional, but highly recommended: it really makes the dish shine. Please don’t skip the fresh lime juice, though- you’ll love how its acidity balances out the sweet, rich coconut milk.
Recipe for Chickpeas with Delicata Squash, Kale, and Coconut Milk
Yield: Serves 3-4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
*2 tablespoons organic coconut oil
*1 large onion, peeled and chopped
*5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
*2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger
*1 hot red chile, chopped
*1 delicata squash, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
*one 15 ounce jar of canned organic chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or use 2 cups chickpeas that have been soaked overnight and cooked until tender
*1 cup of organic coconut milk, well stirred
*1/2 cup water
*2 tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
*1 handful Tuscan or other kale, torn into bite-size pieces
*1 handful of minced cilantro
*fresh lime juice, for garnish
*optional garnish- 1 hot red chile, minced and mixed with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon organic brown sugar
Directions:
1. In a cast iron or other large skillet, warm coconut oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for a minute or two.
2. Reduce heat a bit, add the garlic, ginger, and chile, and cook for another minute or two. Add the chopped squash to the pan, then add the chickpeas, the coconut milk, the water, and the brown sugar. Stir all the ingredients together in the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the squash and chickpeas are very tender. Add more coconut milk and/or water to the pan while cooking, if necessary, or if you desire a finished dish that's more like a stew.
3. Add the kale and the cilantro to the pan, stir everything around, and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and make the chile sauce while it cools as bit.
4. To make the chile sauce, combine minced chile with rice vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl.
5. Serve the chickpeas over cooked brown rice or quinoa, with a small spoonful of the chile sauce, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice on top.
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