About this blog

I love to cook. But I want to make dishes that are lower in calories than those I was used to eating. To make dishes that are still flavorful and satisfying, I strip down dishes to their "essential flavors". These are the key ingredients that provide the flavors we love so much about a dish. I then recreate the dish with just those components. The result is low calorie dishes you'll love to eat!

Take the Chilly out of Winter with Spicy Red Bean Chili

Low Calorie Spicy Red Bean Chili Recipe
I have to admit that winter in San Diego is pretty nice. In fact, it doesn't look anything like winter right now. It's sunny and warm like every other month of the year. We're just spoiled that way! But in many parts of the country, it still feels like winter. A nice bowl of chili is warm and comforting on any cold day. Spicy chili peppers provide the heat and the flavor we love so much about chili. But the ground beef makes it high in calories. Below is a chili recipe that is hearty and spicy without all the calories. With kidney beans, meatless crumble, loads of vegetables and a spicy chili seasoning mix, you won't even miss the meat!

Serving size: 1 bowl
Number of servings: 4
Calories per serving: 253

Low Calorie Spicy Red Bean Chili Recipe Ingredients
Ingredients
Calories
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
385
2 cups “Mexican style” meatless crumble
360
4 cups diced zucchini
76
4 cups diced eggplant
132
2 Tbsp “hot” chili spice mix
60
1 tsp salt
0
1 cup water
0

In a large pot add the kidney beans, meatless crumble, zucchini, eggplant, water, salt and chili spice mix. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. Cover pot with lid and let stand for 20 minutes. Serve.

Barbara's Tips
Meatless crumble is a great substitute for ground beef in this recipe. It's made from soy so it’s high in protein. It has almost no fat and no cholesterol and less than half the calories of ground beef. You can find it in the frozen food or vegetarian section of the grocery store. For this recipe, look for “Mexican style” meatless crumble which is flavored with Mexican spices.
Adding vegetables to a recipe increases the bulk and nutritional value of the dish without adding a lot of calories. This makes for a nice big bowl of chili per serving.
The chili tastes better the longer it sits. It's even better the next day once the flavors have really had a chance to meld together. So it's a great dish to make on a Sunday and serve reheated as a quick weekday meal.
Essential Flavor Ingredients
McCormick Chili Seasoning Mix is a pre-packaged mix of spices that contain all the flavors we associate with a traditional chili. It's a convenient, quick way to spice up your dish.
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