(1) Mexican Black Bean Sausage Chili

Well, we're starting the new year off with a bang! Before Christmas, I had intentions to make this recipe but I just ran out of time. So instead of let the meat go to waste, I made the sausage and then put it in the freezer. That step was very handy when I decided to make this today!!

This soup had quite a kick!! If you don't love spicy spicy stuff, cut the chipotles down to 2 instead of 3. The recipe says that it makes 6 servings at 1 3/4 cup each. I ended up with 8 servings at 2 cups each! Score! That cuts the nutritional information down to 296 cal, 8g fat, 26g protein, 30 carb, 10.5g fiber, 22mg chol, and 749mg of sodium! Much more manageable!

I served the soup with cornbread. Will definitely make this recipe again!

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Mexican Black Bean Sausage Chili

Yield: 6 servings (1 3/4 cup each) -- I got 8 servings @ 2 cups each
Source: Cooking Light Magazine - January 2006

Ingredients

Sausage:
1 1/2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons dry red wine
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of kosher salt
3/4 pound lean ground pork
3/4 pound ground turkey breast

Chili:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
3 cups water
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup very finely chopped cilantro, divided
Low-fat sour cream (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation

1) To prepare sausage, combine first 12 ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2) To prepare chili, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage mixture; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, and chiles; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender.

3) Place 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup broth in a food processor; process until smooth. Add puréed beans, remaining beans, remaining 2 cups broth, water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil.

4) Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in juice and cilantro. Ladle about 1 3/4 cups chili into each of 6 bowls. Garnish each serving with sour cream and sliced green onions, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:395 (27% from fat), Fat: 11g (sat 2.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.1g), Protein: 35.3g, Carbohydrate: 40.4g, Fiber: 13.7g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Iron: 6mg, Sodium: 989mg, Calcium: 128mg