Vegetarian Chili

This chili is very spicy, so you definitely need the yogurt! If you don't like spice, you can reduce the amount of chiles/sauce, or remove it altogether.

1 small butternut squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 26oz. can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Serve With:
plain Greek yogurt


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Spread the pieces out on a baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast until tender and cooked through.
2. In a deep, large saucepan, saute the onion, shallots and green pepper in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, until they begin to caramelize.
3. Add the squash, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 cup of water, oregano, chipotle chiles, and chipotle sauce. Season with salt and pepper and simmer chili until cooked through. Add a little more water if it becomes too thick.
4. To serve, spoon chili into a bowl and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Original recipe here

Zesty Wheatberry Black Bean Chili

This recipe is really easy and delicious, but beware of the spices. I bought diced tomatoes from Trader Joe's, and when I was there they were out of the regular tomatoes and only had some that were spiced with green chiles. I decided to leave out the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce because of that - and I'm very glad I did, because the dish was certainly spicy enough! I suggest having a bit of milk on hand for this one. I'm definitely going to try making this again, and make sure I have the correct ingredients.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large yellow bell pepper,chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
2 14-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1-2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 cups cooked wheatberries
Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, chipotle to taste, broth and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Stir in cooked wheat berries and heat through, about 5 minutes more. (If using frozen wheat berries, cook until thoroughly heated.) Remove from the heat. Stir in lime juice. Garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Original recipe here 

Pumpkin Chili

I swear I don't only make desserts. One of my favorites dishes as of late has been Pumpkin Chili, which is fast and easy to make, and very healthy. The original recipe calls for turkey, but I am a pescetarian, and I replace the turkey with one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans. Also, the recipe calls for 1.5 tablespoons of chili powder, which is a ton, so I just use a bit of cayenne pepper and that tastes really good and adds a good amount of spice (this is also good without any chili/pepper at all). I usually just leave out the sour cream and just put cheese on top, but it is worth trying the cream as well!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can pumpkin puree
a few dashes of cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash salt
shredded cheddar cheese (no need to measure, sprinkle on top)
(½ cup sour cream if you want it)


Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, yellow pepper, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and pumpkin puree.

Season with cayenne pepper (to taste), salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. When ready to serve top each bowl with cheddar cheese and sour cream (choose whatever toppings you like!).

Original recipe (with turkey)