Coconut Curry Chili

Chili is not chilly at all. It’s hot. Maybe, from now on, we should call it hottie? That would be a totally appropriate name for this really, because it is sooooo good. It’s delicious, it’s easy to make, it’s colorful, it’s good for you. This is the kind of chili (hottie) you’ll want to take home to meet your parents. You can see a future with this chili; one with a house, kids and a dog. It’s perfect. How did you breathe before there was Coconut Curry Chili?

This recipe was on the cover of last year’s Clean Eating “Comfort Foods” magazine and I’ve probably made it three or four times since then. I have a hard time finding barley at my grocery store, so I generally use a “Harvest Grain Mix” from Trader Joe’s that is a combination of Israeli cous cous, quinoa, baby garbanzo beans and orzo. I also have a hard time finding “tomato puree” in my store, so I use a combination of one can crushed tomatoes (15 oz) and one can tomato puree (6 oz).

If it just so happens that you don’t like the flavor of curry, then you need to suck it up, admit you’re wrong, and eat it anyway. Just kidding. If you aren’t a fan of curry, don’t worry, it’s not a strong curry flavor (in my opinion and I LOVE curry). I can actually taste more of the coconut in this. Plus, it’s chili (I mean hottie) so you can adjust those flavors to your preference. That is the beauty of cooking versus baking; adjust on the fly as you go. Cooking is jazz; improvise.

Have I mentioned yet that you can eat two and a half cups of this hottie (you know, the chili) for only 340 calories? It also has 17 grams of protein, even though it has no meat! That has to be music to the ears of you New Years Resolutioners. And you better be sticking with it, it’s still January for Pete’s sake. (Question, who is Pete and why do we invoke his name when we don’t want to use the Lord’s in vein? My first guess is he’s Jesus’ half brother, but I never went to Sunday school, so I could be wrong.)

Make this hottie now. It makes a large batch so you can share it and maybe even pull in a hottie who admires your cooking skills (in this case by hottie, I mean a handsome gentleman or lady).

Oh crap. Can I still call this a hottie if it’s not spicy? I forgot to mention that it’s not spicy, which I dig, cause I don’t do spicy. Throw some tabasco in it if you want a spicy hottie. Ok, I give up on my “hottie” idea. I just got an image of Sofía Vergara in a giant pot after that last line. Go make chili.

PS – Vegan. Ha! Gotchya!

Coconut Curry Chili
by Clean Eating

Ingredients
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1/2 cup uncooked bulgur
1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (2 cups)
3 cups cooked kidney beans or BPA-free canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups jarred or boxed tomato purée (aka passata)
2 scallions, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
In a four quart pot, add curry paste, cumin and a bit of broth. Mash mixture and stir until paste is no longer in lumps. Add remaining broth, bulgur, potato and bell pepper. Set over high heat and bring mixture to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.

Add beans, coconut milk and tomato purée to pot and stir. Cook, uncovered, for seven minutes, until bulgur is tender and chili is thick. Stir in scallions and black pepper and serve.

Tags: chili, curry, low-cal, soup, sweet potato, vegan