My oldest son asked me if I could make more "plant based" meals. Eat your vegetables! Its something I've heard my whole life. A plant based diet emphasizes vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds with less animal products. I thought it was a great idea until I went to the grocery store and I did not have a clue what to make. Change is never easy and as I was walking around the produce aisle, I felt lost. We all have foods that we love and I was not prepared to completely give those up. I needed to get back to the drawing board, and research how I was going to meal plan so we could all be happy.The first week I tried out some recipes from Pinterest. There are so many delicious vegetarian and vegan meals that I did not have a hard time finding things to make. But this week its been raining a lot and I wanted something comforting and familiar. I normally make chili on days like this so I decided to remake my chili with eggplant instead of ground beef. It turned out great! The eggplant gives the meal a hardier texture so the chili was more like a stew than a soup. I
used all the same seasoning that I would normally use for my chili, so this meal could still be made with beef or without, its completely up to you!
Ingredients
prep time 15 mins
cook time 40 mins
serves 4 people
15 ingredients
*two optional ingredients
( 17 total ingredients )
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (fresh or dried)
2 medium eggplants
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
1 small tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes
( canned tomatoes diced can also be used )
1 packet of mild taco seasoning
( I like mild, use the amount of heat to your own taste )
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4th teaspoon red pepper flakes
( again adjust the heat to your liking)
I - can 8 oz tomato sauce
2 - cans of mild chili beans 16 oz cans
l bottle of beer (any kind will be fine )
* optional - shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips
slice the two eggplants
place on plate or cookie sheet
lightly salt (about a tablespoon) both sides of eggplant
set aside for 15 minutes while preparing the rest of chili so the eggplant can sweat out some of its bitterness
heat the two tablespoons of olive oil
then add onion let saute until see through
then add chopped garlic, carrots and tomatoes
cooking until slightly softened about 5 minutes
pat the eggplant off with a paper towel , chop it and then add it to the other vegetables
let simmer for another 5 mins
throw in the chopped cilantro stir in the salt,pepper, the entire packet of taco seasoning and red pepper flakes stir ingredients together then add tomato sauce and both cans of chili beans let simmer on medium heat 40 minutes
when the liquid reduces add beer and let simmer for ten more minutes.
voila! eggplant chili!
I served mine with black bean tortilla chips and quesadillas made with re- fried beans and diced tomatoes
kitchen helpers!!
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