I hear there’s some kind of football game going on tonight, and that quite a few spectators will be consuming chili. For those of us who don’t watch a lot of football, with snow in the air (again), it feels like a good dish for warming up.

Skinny Taste‘s recipe called for black beans (makes sense as that’s part of the name of this recipe). However, I used the recipe as a base for opening up my canned goods store and using some of the stockpile that was getting close to the expiration date. That meant that in place of a diced jalepeno, which I didn’t have on hand, I used a can that had been taking up space for a number of months. Likewise, when I found I was a 15-oz. can short of black beans, I substituted a can of cannellini beans. What I found was this recipe is very forgiving and can be adjusted for what’s on hand.

And that, after all, is how we cook these days, at least in this house. With supply shortages and increases in prices, we are finding more and more that our weekly food plan is partially planned out and partially ready for improvisation. This is one recipe that lends itself to doing just that.

Easy Black Bean Vegetarian Chili with Spiced Yogurt

Recipe from Skinny Taste

Ingredients

Spice Mix:

• 1 1/4 TBSP cumin
• 1 1/4 TBSP chili powder
• 1/4 TBSP garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Chili:

• 3/4 C Stonyfield Organic whole milk plain yogurt (I used up some plan 0% Greek yogurt – just stir vigorously)
• 2 15-oz cans black beans (I needed to substitute 1 of the black bean cans; used cannellini beans)
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 diced jalapeno, plus more for garnish (I used a can of chopped jalepenos)
• 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
• 8 ounces frozen corn
• 8 ounce can tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup less-sodium vegetable broth
• Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar, diced red onions, cilantro, diced avocado

Method

1. Mix the spices in a small bowl. Set aside 1 1/2 teaspoons and mix into the yogurt. Set aside.
2. Place 1 can of beans, not drained in the blender with 1/2 cup of water and puree. (I used the cannellini beans for the blended can)
3. Drain the second can of beans.
4. Add oil to a large pot over medium heat, add the onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and cook 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, pureed beans, tomato sauce, vegetable broth and remaining spices.
6. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring until thickened.
7. Serve topped with spiced yogurt plus your favorite optional toppings.

Noomers: (Serves 6) 264 Cals, 14.5 Protein, 44.5 Carbs, 4.5 Fats