Vegetarian Chili With Mango

In my mind, twenty inches of snow go hand-in-hand with a warm bowl of chili, especially since we are skiers in New England.  Just about every time we ski, chili is our go-to snack.

I made a vegetarian chili because I'm trying to reduce our beef consumption. Plus, we had meatballs this week, although with ground beef from sustainable farms, and we'll have pot roast this weekend.  And when I think of how much ground beef those ski resort kitchens serve in their chili, I feel pretty good about my decision.

I started with beautiful fresh produce.

The mango, below, is photographed separatey because it was an afterthought. When I started snacking on it, I thought it would be good in the chili!  (If you haven't cut a mango, watch this link for easy instructions:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvLdPjpELyU)

Three-Pepper Chili with Mango and Black Beans:

1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 mango
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 28 oz can low sodium organic diced tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cayenne
2 15 oz. cans no salt black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Salt to taste

Roughly chop peppers and mango, dice onion and mince garlic.  Saute peppers and onion in a medium size dutch oven or stock pot on medium heat with olive oil until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute about 1 minute being careful not to burn.  Add mango, green chiles, diced tomatoes (I used Bionature which has a lot of puree), vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin and cayenne.  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes.  Add black beans and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes.  Add cilantro or parsley, mix and serve.  Add salt if needed.

I gave the peppers a rough chop because they were so beautiful I wanted to be able to see and taste them rather than let their colors and flavors be overwhelmed by the stew.  After the peppers, onion, and garlic were tender, I added the mango and look at those gorgeous colors!

I admit I really couldn't taste the mango.  Maybe it should be added with the beans (after the vegetables cook for 30 minutes) but I think it gave the stew a little sweetness.  A nice addition, though, and provides extra nutrients, and if your kids won't eat a mango this is a good way to sneak it in their diet (my kids didn't even notice).

Fresh chopped parsley and an organic blue corn chip for me:

 And freshly grated organic cheddar cheese for the kids.

Sour cream would also be delicious on top.

Nutrition Information:

Black beans are antioxidant superstars, rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber and provide folate and manganese for heart health.  Tomato puree provides that great antioxidant, lycopene, essential to fighting free-radicals and maintaining healthy bones.  Peppers are high in vitamin A and C, have powerful antioxidants, and red pepper provides more lycopene.  Mangoes are a "super fruit" with antioxidants, fiber, many vitamins and minerals, and an excellent source of potassium for heart health.