Chili in August

Last Friday, Geoff went to the CSA on his own because I was giving my final exam (4:30 on Friday afternoon, thanks Penn State) and he brought back a bounty: tiny eggplant, large and tiny tomatoes, green tomato, hot and sweet peppers, chard, celery, parsley, carrots, and patty pan squash. It was somehow even more exciting to have the vegetables surprise me from inside my own refrigerator. So here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Yakitori Chicken and Fried Rice with Carrots and Celery
Tuesday: Chard-Stuffed Patty Pan Squash and Salad
Wednesday: Wheatberry Salad with Oven Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes and Squash (from Laurel’s garden)
Thursday: Veggie Chili (featuring the hot peppers)

So chili may sound weird for August but my dad was talking about having chili the other day and now I can’t get it out of my head. The chili recipe I linked to is the only one I ever use anymore. It is full of vegetables, made in the crock-pot for extra ease and is overall a remarkably healthy chili recipe. I double up on the spices and about triple the amount of jalapeño called for since we like our food on the spicy side. The only thing I don’t like about this recipe is that the result, due to the lack of fat, is more of a bean soup than a true chili (also, don’t use the baked beans, use an extra can of kidney beans). My fix for that is to take the immersion blender to the crock pot once it is finished cooking and puree some of the beans until you get that thick chili consistency you want. At less than 300 calories per bowl and less than 5% of your daily fat intake, I don’t feel bad adding a dollop of sour cream and some cheese.