Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa

This is a delicious recipe. I make it all the time. It’s in my South Beach cookbook and I also have a different version saved in my files from Cooking Light. Sometimes I add chicken, sometimes I don’t. If I do, I either grill a chicken breast and chop it, or else I just use a rotisserie chicken. Try it out. Let me know what you think of it. I’m making it this week too. Yum.

Quick Vegetarian (or not) Chili with Avocado Salsa


Avocado Salsa
1 medium California avocado, peeled, pitted and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (skip this if you don’t like raw onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 large lime
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Vegetarian Chili
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
6 lime wedges
12 whole wheat pita crisps (optional)

To make the avocado salsa:
Combine all ingredients; toss mixture gently. Let stand for thirty minutes.

To make the vegetarian chili:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, chile peppers, chili powder, garlic, cumin and organo and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, lime wedges, chips, and Avocado Salsa. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

Makes 6 servings
Per serving: 181 calories, 17 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates (but they’re the good ones), 15 g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 665 mg sodium