Vegetarian Chili

Eating Clean is treating your body right.

It is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied. The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. And yes, you can have a treat now and again.
Best of all, Eating Clean keeps you feeling great and full of energy. In fact, you can forget all about the days when “dieting” meant feelings of hunger, lethargy or deprivation. Eating Clean is not a fad; it’s a way of life. When you Eat Clean your body will react by losing weight if you need to lose, maintaining a healthy weight if that’s where you are, and even gaining weight if you are too skinny. But regardless of whether you want to lose, maintain or gain, you will feel better than you ever have before. Never worry about counting calories again. You will never have to diet. Eating Clean will keep you lean and healthy for the rest of your long life.

Vegetarian Chili
Who doesn’t have a chili recipe somewhere in their cooking repertoire? The hearty dish warms you up from the inside, keeps you lean and will make plenty for leftovers. Vegetarian chilies are getting more and more popular.

Ingredients
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml chili powder
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml ground cumin
• 1 tsp / 5 ml ground sage
• 1 eggplant, peeled, cubed and salted (see salting method below)
• 2 firm green zucchini, cubed and salted as with eggplant
• ½ cup / 120 ml best-quality extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 each red, green and yellow bell pepper, seeded and deveined, coarsely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped, leaves included
• 1 cup / 240 ml flat beer
• Handful fresh basil, chopped
• Handful fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 x 6 oz / 175 ml cans tomato paste
• 2 cups / 480 ml peeled and coarsely chopped Roma tomatoes
• 1 tsp / 5 ml sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Juice of 2 fresh lemons
• ¼ cup / 60 ml unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 4 cups / 950 ml kidney beans (any broad bean will do)
• 2 cups / 480 ml fresh or frozen corn kernels

Method for Salting Eggplant
Do not skip this step! Eggplant has a bitter component in its flesh that can be unpleasant. Peel and cube the eggplant. Place in a good-sized preparation bowl and toss with about 2 tsp / 10 ml of fine sea salt. Place in a bowl and let stand, covered, for about an hour. The bitter juice will collect in the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the eggplant to a colander and rinse well. Dump the rinsed eggplant onto a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. The eggplant is now ready to use.

Method for Toasting Spices

In a small dry skillet, add chili, cumin, garlic and sage. Toast over medium heat until spices become fragrant and just begin to smoke, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Set aside.