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Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

There is a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to change. Once the sweaters come out of the storage bins, my soup pots that were negelected for months start to get lots of use. This chili is out of this world and one of the first dishes I look forward to making. A perfect meal for the entire family, just set aside the low protein portion and add a can of black beans and kidney beans. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, sliced scallions and low protein cheddar cheese. Add a lump of cornbread and it is a meal fit for a king. (If there are any leftovers, the filling is also delicious in a burrito or taco shell.) You can adjust the spices to your liking, but also adjust the phe -- there is quite a bit of phe hidden there. We prefer the unexpected sweetness of butternut squash to zucchini, but both are delicious.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6.5 c
Course: Dinner, Entrees
Calories: 165.2
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 165.2kcalProtein: 3.698gPhe: 151.8mgPKU Exchanges: 10.12exch

Ingredients
  

  • 4 3/4 cups Eggplant (1 medium), raw, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 2 1/4 cups Zucchini (1 medium) or Butternut Squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 2 cups Onion (2 medium) cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 4 Garlic, fresh cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Bell pepper (1 red and 1 green) cut into 1/4 inch dice
  • 3 1/8 cups Canned whole tomatoes (28 oz can), preferably San Marzano diced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Chili Powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin ground
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Oregano, ground
  • 3 teaspoons Basil, ground
  • 2 teaspoons Pepper, black
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

Method
 

  1. Place eggplant in colander, sprinkle w/ salt and let stand for at least 1 hour or up to three. Rinse the eggplant well under running water to remove the salt and spread it in an even layer on a triple thickness of paper towels. Press firmly on the eggplant with your hands until the eggplant is dry and feels firm and compressed.
  2. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the eggplant, squash and two tablespoons of the olive oil together in a large bowl. Spread on a baking sheet large enough to accommodate all of the veggies in a single layer (otherwise they get steamed as opposed to roasted). Sprinkle with salt to taste and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until well browned and tender, 30 – 40 minutes. Set the eggplant and zucchini aside.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and bell peppers, sauté for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and the spices and cook for 10 minutes. Add the roasted eggplant and zucchini. * Simmer, uncovered on a low heat for 30 minutes.
  6. * If making for the entire family, set aside your low protein portion and add can of kidney and can of black beans at this point.

Notes

Cooking time does not include the additional time for soaking the eggplant.
Reader Q&A:
Q: Can I sub jackfruit for eggplant? Would you still roast it? (I have canned jackfruit, so it's cooked already.) Hard to find eggplant here in the winter! A: I think so. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the brine off and squeeze dry. I would still roast, but likely for only 20 minutes.
Q: What makes the phe count so high in this chilli recipe? Looking at ingredients these veggies are free on his simplified diet. Is it the high volume of tomatoes? A: The tomatoes and the spices. If you look to the right there is a line by line phe amount for each ingredient.

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