Sep 4
2008

Veggie Chili, Crash Hot Potatoes, & Chocolate Coconut Cookies

in Dessert, Fruits & Vegetables, Fuji Favorites, Main Course, Recipes by Type, Side Dish, Soup & Stew

I'm always on the lookout for new yummy healthy recipes to add to my arsenal. This is especially important as Squirrel gets older and with me being pregnant. No matter how much I would rather have a chocolate truffle tarte for dinner some nights, I want to make sure that I instill healthy eating habits early on in my children. I tried some new recipes over the past week. I found that they fell into one of three categories: 1)The recipe sounded good and it was just okay, like the chicken and black enchiladas I made a few days ago. 2)The recipe sounded really good and then was pretty terrible, like the bland black bean and spinach burritos I made over the weekend. 3)The recipe sounded really good and was really good. A recipe for veggie chili definitely fell into this category. I don't remember where I got this recipe from. I do know that it was from one of my MIL's magazines that I was flipping through while I was in Utah last month. So unfortunately I can't give credit where credit is due (if anyone knows of the source, let me know!).
The chili has some unexpected ingredients in it like bulgur wheat and a can of pureed pumpkin making it high in fiber and other nutrients, but it is oh so good. I did make a few changes to the original recipe, like adding more cilantro (this makes a pretty sizable pot of soup) and some Tabasco sauce (adds a nice zing), to make the chili a bit more flavorful. I rounded the meal out with some amazing crash hot potatoes.
Of course, no dinner is complete without dessert, right? So I followed up with some yummy chocolate coconut cookies.
It's always nice to have a meal turn out, and this one was a home run!

Veggie Chili
Serves 6

5 ½ cups water
¾ cup bulgur wheat
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion 

1 cup red pepper
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon each minced garlic and ground cumin
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen corn
2-3 cans (15.5 oz) black beans (depending on how many beans you want!), rinsed
¾ cup chopped cilantro
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Put 3 cups of the water and the bulgur in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high until the bulgur is tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and pepper, and sauté everything for 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, garlic, and cumin; sauté until fragrant.
  3. Add the remaining 2 ½ cups water, the tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, and corn; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender.
  4. Stir in the beans and bulgur; heat through. Season with Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Misha September 4, 2008 at 7:23 pm

Yum! I’m definitely in need of some healthy food. John and I have both packed on ten pounds (each of course!) since we’ve moved out to Ohio, and winter hasn’t even begun! I’ll try the recipe this weekend…glad it feeds lots, I love left overs!

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Emmy September 4, 2008 at 9:13 pm

mmmmm! sounds sooooooo good!

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Phoe September 5, 2008 at 6:41 am

That sounds yummy!

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Jackie September 5, 2008 at 7:42 am

Do you realize what you are doing to my mealtimes?! Neal mentions after reading your posts, “guess what fuji mama made, it looks really good” and “we should try it sometime”… These all sound very yummy!
You prego belly is so cute! Congrats again! Do your pickles go well with ice cream? :)

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Denise September 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm

I made the yummiest “bean chowder” earlier this week. It’s fairly fatty, but also really high in fiber. You’ll have to look at the nutritional info for yourself.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hearty-Bean-Chowder/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Love the entries, have fun!

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