Black Bean Chili

I don’t know about you, but we are trying to eat less meat around here.

I won’t get on my soap box about the meat industry and carbon emissions. I do enough of that over at Seafood Lady and on Twitter. But. We are trying to shake things up because we want to feel better. And less meat makes us feel better. (Notice I am speaking for Elvis here too. No worries, he doesn’t mind.) And after my visit with Dr. Colonoscopy last week, evidently I need to eat more fiber too!

However. There’s one thing I learned over the years.

There is a fine line between eating enough fiber and eating too much fiber.

Take my Black Bean Chili recipe. Plenty of fiber. Fits the Meatless Monday meme too. And since the word “chili” is in the title, I can definitely sell it to Elvis.

There is something about cooking with black beans that makes me want to add corn to the recipe. Maybe it’s that pop of color with the finished dish, or the sweetness paired with the oh-so-tasteless black beans. Whatever. I wanted so bad, so bad to add sweet corn to this pot of chili. But with the beans and barley, I knew adding sweet corn would make this recipe fiber-heavy. And you know what that means.

What’s a cook to do?

Eat corn another day. Black Bean Chili rocks without it!

Ready to cook?

Black Bean Chili

Sweet butternut squash complements the salty, spiciness of this black bean chili. Add diced tomatoes and plop a spoonful of sour cream on top for crunch and creaminess to round out this one-pot delicious wonder.

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed in a mortar and pestle

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 shallot, minced or 2 tablespoons

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 cups water

3 (15 ounce) cans organic black beans, drain 2, reserve liquid from 3rd can

1 (4 ounce) can fire roasted diced green chilies

½ cup quick cooking barley

1 pound butternut squash, trimmed, peeled and chopped or 2 cups

Fresh-diced tomato and sour cream (optional)

Cook’s note: To save time, peel and dice the squash up to one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Alternatively, buy precut squash at the grocery. You can add additional water if needed at the end of the cooking cycle if chili is too thick.

Toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium heat for about six to seven minutes, or until you smell the aroma. Remove from heat. Let cool. Grind to a powder in a mortar and pestle.
Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add onion, stir and cook for about two minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, cook onions an additional minute. Add shallots, stir and cook one minute. Add garlic, stir and cook about one minute or less, just enough to release the bouquet.
Add the crushed coriander seeds, chili powder, cumin, salt, black and cayenne pepper. Stir.
Add tomato sauce and 1 cup of the water. Stir and increase the heat to medium.
Add the black beans, green chilies barley, butternut squash and remaining cup of water. Stir.
Cover with a vented lid and bring chili to a brisk simmer, about five to six minutes cooking time, then reduce heat to low and cook on a gentle simmer with a vented lid, stirring occasionally for twenty to thirty minutes or until squash is fork tender.
Ladle chili in bowls. Serve immediately.

Appetite required.