Tasty Tuesdays – Rainbow Chili

With the temperatures starting to plummet, there is no better time to make a large pot of chili full of healthy and colourful vegetables!  This recipe is based on Jamie Oliver’s Chili Con Carne (Jamie’s Food Revolution), with a few modifications of my own.  It is super quick to prepare and makes for a hearty lunch for the rest of the week.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
•  1 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 13 baby carrots
• 2 celery  stalks
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 large sweet potato
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Salt & pepper
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can white kidney beans
• 1 can (28 fl oz) whole tomatoes (low sodium)
• 2 cilantro stalks
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Garnishes: fresh guacamole, plain yogurt, cilantro and a wedge of lime

Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot.
• Add to the pot all roughly chopped vegetables; onion, garlic, carrots, celery, red pepper, yellow pepper and sweet potato.
• Add the paprika, cayenne powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Stir so that all vegetables are evenly coated with the spices.
• Cook on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring a few times.
• Drain and wash the chickpeas and kidney beans.  Add to the pot.
• Squash the tomatoes with a potato masher, or your clean hands and add entirety of the can to the pot.  As well, fill the can ¾ of the way with water and add to the pot.
• Thoroughly clean the stalks of cilantro and chop into small pieces.  Add the stems to the pot and reserve the leaves for garnish.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and stir thoroughly.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer on low with the lid slightly askew for 1 hour.
• Stir every so often.
• Salt & pepper to taste and serve by itself or on a bed of your favourite rice.
• Garnish with fresh guacamole, plain yogurt, cilantro leaves and a wedge of lime.

Interesting Facts

Chickpeas are referred to by many different names depending on where you reside; Garbanzo beans, Bengal grams and Egyptian peas to name a few.  This legume is one of the earliest cultivated foods, originally farmed in the Mediterranean Basin (Saxena, 1990).  Presently, it continues to be an important food in the Middle East and is favoured because of its buttery texture, nutty taste and year round availability.  Chickpeas are a great food for weight loss or management because of their high fiber and protein content paired with their low fat concentration.  This winning combination allows you to feel full longer while also aiding with blood sugar regulation (Balanza, et al., 2010).  Chickpeas contain no cholesterol and have actually been shown to improve cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL cholesterol (Bazzano, 2008).  A study by Pittaway et al., (2006) followed participants for five weeks who were randomized to either a fibrous diet supplemented with chickpeas or wheat.  Comparatively the group ingesting the chickpea supplemented diet had a significant reduction in both serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.  Furthermore, the association between increased legumes, specifically chickpeas, in the diet and a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease is very strong (Leterme, 2002) and warrants further research.  This vegetable’s amazing nutritional content includes important minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc.  As well, chickpeas are great sources of healthy fatty acids and vitamins A, B, C, E and K (USDA, 2012).   Best of all, it is easy to incorporate chickpeas into your diet since they can be found in a wide variety of recipes such as soups, salads and curries.  Additionally, if you have intolerance to gluten there is high protein chickpea flour, referred to as garam, which can be used as a wheat flour substitute in many recipes. So just remember that no matter what you call this universally tasty and versatile legume it comes packed with a multitude of health benefits.

Tasty Tuesdays – Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted vegetables are always delicious, easy to prepare and excellent as a side dish.  This recipe only takes a couple of minutes to whip up and the cauliflower can roast while you make the rest of the meal.

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 sweet white onion
• Salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425°.
• Using a mortar and pestle combine the coriander seeds, cumin, garam masala, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper.
• In a mixing bowl, add the spice mix to the olive oil.
• Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and chop the onion.
• Add the vegetables to the mixing bowl and stir until everything is thoroughly coated.
• Spread onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 20 minutes, then stir and continue cooking for 10 minutes more.
• Salt to taste.

Interesting Facts

It’s unusual to hear people include cauliflower in a conversation about highly nutritious vegetables.  In actuality, this cruciferous vegetable, which is a relative to Brussels sprouts and broccoli, is loaded with nutrients (Branca, 2008).  Cauliflower contains notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and vitamins B, C and K.  Surprisingly, 100 g of raw cauliflower contains nearly the same amount of vitamin C as an equivalent amount of orange (USDA, 2012).   Furthermore, this vegetable is low in fat, high in dietary fiber and has trace amounts of healthy fatty acids.  All of these factors deem cauliflower to be an excellent choice for weight loss or maintenance, and optimum digestion.  Cauliflower is also known to contain glucosinolates which are highly studied for their possible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Cabello-Hurtado et al., 2012).  These important properties decrease the chances of prevalent health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.  Additionally, these organic compounds improve digestion and decrease the risk of gastrointestinal ailments caused by inflammation (Abul-Fadl, 2012).  The stomach and intestines contain naturally occurring bacteria; some are beneficial while others are not.  The glucosinolates in cauliflower are broken down into compounds known as isothiocyanate, which directly assist in elimination of bad bacteria from the gastric system (Keenan et al., 2010).  So next time you are discussing healthy foods and the importance of ingesting all colours of fruits and vegetables, consider telling people about this white plant.  After all, cauliflower is only white in colour because of the large green leaves that protect the undeveloped flowering buds from sunlight which inhibit the development of chlorophyll (Murray et al., 2005).