Delicious, Nutritious Lentil Bean Chili Recipe!

Today is National Chili Day. How appropriate for these chilly February days, and what better way to celebrate than by making a big pot of chili? Today I'm re-posting one of my very favorite chili recipes. (I originally posted this on October 23, 2010.) *************

My friend Staci mentioned the other day that she's tired of making the same old flavor-packet chili, and I told her I have a recipe for a wonderful home-made chili.

This is actually from the Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar book that my mom got for me right after I learned I have type 2 diabetes. You can read more about the book here.

It became my diabetes bible, with wonderful information about lowering your blood sugar with healthy eating, and a ton of delicious recipes that have become favorites with my family.

You can order this wonderful book on amazon.com.

This chili uses lentil beans (which are fantastic for your blood sugar) and dark red kidney beans. My family members rave about how delicious it is!



You can garnish the chili as you please with diced avocado, grated cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, and sour cream (reduced-fat if you wish.)

The original recipe does NOT call for meat of any kind. I usually add a pound of very lean ground beef or ground turkey breast, just because my husband prefers chili with meat...but if you want to leave it vegetarian, I'm sure it would be just as good.

By the way, I could not find this recipe online, so it shows how much I love all of you that I'm typing it out! :)

I'm giving you the vegetarian version--if you want to add ground beef or ground turkey, brown it separately, drain it, and add it to the pot when you're simmering your onions and carrots.



Lentil and Bean Chili

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 cup diced carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 teaspoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 cans (10 ounces each)diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans (15 or 19 ounces each) dark red kidney beans
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots (and meat if you're using it). Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the broth and lentils. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. Add the tomotoes, beans, and pepper. Return to a simmer. Cook, covered, over medium low heat until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes longer. One serving is 1 cup. Left-overs will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutritional facts for the chili WITHOUT meat:
199 calories, 12 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 691 mg sodium


*photo source
*photo source

The Best Lentil and Bean Chili Ever!

My friend Staci mentioned the other day that she's tired of making the same old flavor-packet chili, and I told her I have a recipe for a wonderful home-made chili.

This is actually from the Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar book that my mom got for me right after I learned I have type 2 diabetes. You can read more about the book here.

It became my diabetes bible, with wonderful information about lowering your blood sugar with healthy eating, and a ton of delicious recipes that have become favorites with my family.

You can order this wonderful book on amazon.com.

This chili uses lentil beans (which are fantastic for your blood sugar) and dark red kidney beans. My family members rave about how delicious it is!



You can garnish the chili as you please with diced avocado, grated cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, and sour cream (reduced-fat if you wish.)

The original recipe does NOT call for meat of any kind. I usually add a pound of very lean ground beef or ground turkey breast, just because my husband prefers chili with meat...but if you want to leave it vegetarian, I'm sure it would be just as good.

By the way, I could not find this recipe online, so it shows how much I love all of you that I'm typing it out! :)

I'm giving you the vegetarian version--if you want to add ground beef or ground turkey, brown it separately, drain it, and add it to the pot when you're simmering your onions and carrots.



Lentil and Bean Chili

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 cup diced carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 teaspoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 cans (10 ounces each)diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans (15 or 19 ounces each) dark red kidney beans
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots (and meat if you're using it). Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the broth and lentils. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. Add the tomotoes, beans, and pepper. Return to a simmer. Cook, covered, over medium low heat until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes longer. One serving is 1 cup. Left-overs will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutritional facts for the chili WITHOUT meat:
199 calories, 12 g protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 12 g fiber, 3 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 691 mg sodium


*photo source
*photo source

Some great resources for diabetics..

...and for people just trying to get healthy and/or lose weight!

Since I found out almost three years ago that I'm a Type 2 diabetic, I've learned a wealth of information about nutrition and weight loss.

For that, I can first thank my diabetes educators at SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, IL. (If you are diabetic and your doctor never referred you to diabetes educators, I urge you to find some--they are an incredible help.)

Besides that, there are some fantastic publications and online resources that are a great help in educating you and supporting you in your quest to control your blood sugar and just get fit.

Even if you're not diabetic....

It makes sense to start living as if you could be. This from a National Institutes of Health website:

In a new analysis of national survey data, researchers found that the prevalence of diabetes in U.S. adults is continuing to rise. And despite efforts to raise awareness of the problem, about a third of adults with diabetes still don't know they have it. Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of glucose in the blood. Persistent high levels can lead to blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease and stroke.

The article goes on to say:

The researchers found that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in U.S. adults rose from about 5.1 percent in the years 1988–1994 to 6.5 percent in 1999–2002. About 2.8 percent of U.S. adults, a third of those who have diabetes, don't even know they have it. The study also found that about a quarter of U.S. adults have impaired fasting glucose, a form of pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, and for heart disease and stroke.

So it makes sense to be proactive. Eating to control blood sugar is beneficial in EVERY area of health--heart health, blood pressure, etc. And it's much easier to lose weight when you control cravings and blood sugar spikes by eating in a low-glycemic way.

Here are some of my favorite resources:

Dlife.com is an amazing website. I subscribe to it on my e-mail, and it never fails to have a great array of tips, advice, recipes, etc. There is even a forum where you can get support from other diabetics and get questions answered.

Another great resource is Diabetic Living magazine. The magazine also has a website and a Facebook page.

The thing I really love about this magazine (other than the wealth of knowledge it contains) is that it's bright, positive and optimistic, as opposed to some diabetes publications that a bit gloomy and filled with medical lingo. This magazine projects the message that life isn't over just because you're diabetic...in fact, it can be better than ever.

Another publication I really like is Outsmart Diabetes, which is put out by Prevention magazine (in fact, Prevention itself is a terrific magazine with an excellent website.)

Outsmart Diabetes isn't put out monthly, but when I find it at the cash register at my grocery store, I always pick up a copy. My old copies are dog-eared from using their recipes repeatedly.

You'll be amazed...

You'll be amazed at the delicious foods and recipes you can enjoy and still not only keep your blood sugar in check, but actually help your blood sugar. And you'll benefit by becoming a much healthier person overall.