School is in session here, but the sun is still shining. It’s still summer, but with 9 AM school bells ringing, it really doesn’t feel like it anymore. This Summer Vegetable Black Bean Chili is my response to the seasonal confusion.
Chili, to me is an Autumn/Winter meal. Zucchini, Eggplant, Corn, and Tomatoes, however, are summer foods and are at their peak in the garden right now. So, to compromise, we are having Summer Vegetable Black Bean Chili. It totally works!
What hasn’t been working, however, are my efforts to convince the kids that it really is bed time. Yes, the sun is still shining. Yes, it’s still warm outside and the backyard is calling you to come play. But, the alarm goes off far too early in the morning, pulling us out of our beds and into the school/carpool routine before our eyes are fully open. So, yes, it really is bed time.
Yeah right.
I’m not convincing anyone. Not even myself, which may explain why the alarm’s snooze button has been working overtime every morning this week and we’ve been doing the woke-up-late-get-dressed-run-out-the-door morning scramble. Not my best mom move.
As it currently stands, breakfasts this week are a jar of Aimee’s fast and easy Chia Pudding eaten on the run (with raspberries this morning). I’ll make up for the harried meal by having dinner on the table at the end of the day. Yes, we’ll sit down for dinner at least and savor the flavors of summer before I attempt to rush everyone off to bed.
And tonight, after I’ve satisfied everyone’s tummies with a bowl of Summer Vegetable Black Bean Chili, I plan to lure them into bed with a really good book. I’m thinking Judy Blume should do the trick quite well. Superfudge is going to be my secret bed time weapon. Wish me luck!
- 1 small eggplant, cut into ½ inch cubes and salted
- 2 cups diced zucchini and summer squash, baby varieties work well
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- approximately ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 small bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 cups cooked black beans
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish
- 1 cup sour cream, plain yogurt, or creme fraiche, for garnish
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the eggplant and squash in batches and saute for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and softened, adding olive oil as needed. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked squash/eggplant to a separate bowl and set aside.
- Add a couple more tablespoons olive oil and saute the onion, peppers, jalapeno, and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and spices to the pan with onion mixture. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add beans and corn kernels and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Stir in the cooked squash and eggplant and simmer for 10 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Serve with garnishes.
DPakett says
Allison this looks marvelous, but what we are missing is the aroma. When I stopped buy your home while you were cooking this fantastic dish, the mouthwatering aroma filled your home and that is tough to blog about. I’d like to have a taste, I bet it is Delicious.
Love Dad
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thanks Dad, you’re the best! I saved you a big bowl and I’ll send it over – hope you like it!
Bryan says
Great recipe for the last of the summer plunder!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thanks Bryan – it was inspired by my garden plunder!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
This is a great vegetarian Chili recipe and it looks so summery and delicious, thanks for sharing it. I definitely will be recreating the recipe for my vegetarian household. Pinned!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thanks Thalia! It makes a great vegetarian meal and I hope you like it.
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
I am totally with you about the seasonal confusion. My daughters just started back yesterday but it is still hot out. Love the look of this and your photos. Really pretty! Pinned.
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thank you Katie! We started back to school almost 3 weeks ago and we’re still not quite ready to let go of our summer routines!
Emily says
What a beautiful blog you have here. I love the vibrant colors of this chili. Pinning it and going to try it soon!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thank you Emily – you are so kind!
DPakett says
Allison,
Thank you for the Vegetable Black Bean Chili. It was even more delicious than I thought it would be.
Love Dad
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Best Dad Ever, hands down.
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps says
I like your compromise! I’m not quite ready for fall yet, but I’m teetering on the edge, this is the perfect transitional food to take us from summer to fall.
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thanks Nicole! I love Fall, but I’m not quite ready for it yet either . . . a few more bowls of this late summer chili please!
Cyndi says
I just stumbled upon your blog. I made your summer black bean chili for dinner tonight and it is DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe. The photographs on your blog are amazing!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you liked it – totally makes my day when people try recipes and come back and tell me about it!
Ayesha says
I’m not even finished making this chili yet, and I already want to comment on how DELICIOUS it is! I did make a few changes to adjust it to my likings, but overall this recipe is a huge hit! Thanks for sharing!
Josephine Whitaker says
I found this recipe on Pinterest yesterday, and made a variation on it last night as I didn’t have all the ingredients. It was DE-licious! I also stuck some leftover chicken that needed using up in it, which worked really well.
A perfect (and very healthy!) end of summer recipe, for days when the weather can’t really make up it’s mind. Thanks!
mimi says
That is one beautiful chili!
Lisie G. says
Thank you SO much for this recipe! I’ve made it many times, and found that it actually froze very well! That being said, that was last year…and here we are again in the bounty of squash and eggplant 🙂 I can’t remember how much tomato goes into this. The recipe simply says, “a can”. What size? I also have a plethora of tomatoes, so I’m thinking of using fresh for this. Would you recommend this?
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Well, thank YOU so much for taking the time to comment! I love hearing from readers about my recipes – especially when they tell me they’ve made them many times and love them. You totally just made my day.
I use a 15 oz can of tomatoes. I have used fresh tomatoes with great success. What I’ve done is use a food processor to gently chop the tomatoes so that I could easily reserve the juices so that it more resembled what would come out of a can. About 2 cups worth of chopped tomatoes with the juices should work just fine.
I haven’t tried freezing it but I will now, so thanks for the tip!
Vikki says
Loved this! Made an adapted version based on what I had on hand. No eggplant, but tons of zucchini/squash (4-6 cups probably); trader joe’s fire roasted red/yellow peppers instead of fresh; extra corn, extra jalapenos, skipped the basil and added some cayenne, onion powder + salt/pep. Really good! Made a ton too.
Can’t wait until fresh tomatoes/peppers/eggplant start coming in the CSA to try this again! Thanks!
somethewiser@gmail.com says
Thank you Vikki – I love hearing this! I love how you were able to easily adapt the recipe to the veggies you had. Happy Summer!