Championship Chili

with campus executive chef Tom Barton

Welcome to October, such a great time of year! I personally love this time of year when the weather starts to get a bit colder and I can start to prepare some of my favorite braises in the slow cooker and Instapot. I am inspired by the change in weather and the great local produce we are still able to get.

Another great seasonably appropriate dish is chili. What is your favorite kind? With or without beans? Spicy or mild? Meat or plant based? So many possibilities. Well we now have an award winning recipe, rightfully dubbed "Championship Chili", that I would like to share with you!

Our Championship Chili recipe won us first place in the Vegan Chili Beanpot competition at The Let’s Talk About Food festival last week. It was a competition among the “Beanpot” schools” of Harvard, Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern. As you may know these are called the Beanpot schools because the four schools compete in the much coveted annual Beanpot Hockey tournament in February. Northeastern's Men's Hockey team won the Beanpot this year and we had the trophy on full display on our table at the chili competition. The votes were cast by people who tasted each of the entries and I am happy to report that we were the overwhelming favorite! 

Our Championship Chili included four different beans, fresh char grilled corn, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and seasoned with toasted ground cumin, chili powder, garlic and finished with a bit of hot sauce. I do have to say that I think the piece de resistance was a cashew ranch dressing that was placed on top along with pickled jalapenos, more char grilled corn and a miniature pepper for garnish. Folding in the cashew ranch I think is a great way to bring all the flavors together and perhaps slightly mellow the heat along with accenting the umami flavors of the mushrooms.

Please join us Friday October 19th at Curry Dining from 12:00PM - 1:00PM to celebrate the victory and sample some of our Championship Chili!

- Tom 

Championship Chili Recipe

Ingredients — yields 6-8 portions

Chili

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (can sub vegetable oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3 ears charred corn, removed from cob
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 2 14 ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes
• 11 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 11 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 to 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (i.e. Frank's Red Hot)
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Cashew Ranch Sauce

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours
• 1 cup unflavored soy milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 

Garnish 

• 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
• 1 tiny pepper
• 1 ear charred corn, removed from cob 

Instructions

Making Championship Chili

1. Place the butter into a large pot and set over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until the veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, cannellini beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans, charred corn, 1 cup of broth, cumin, chili powder, tamarind paste, and 1/4 cup of hot sauce to the pot. Stir to incorporate the ingredients. Raise heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes. Add up to an additional cup of broth during cooking if the chili becomes too thick.
3. Taste test and add up to an additional 1/4 cup of hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Making the Cashew Ranch Sauce 

1. Place cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the pitcher as needed.
2. Add parsley and chives, then pulse until finely chopped and incorporated into the mixture.

Serving 

1. Ladle chili into serving dish. Top with dollop of cashew ranch sauce.
2. Garnish with pinch of charred corn and pickled jalapenos. Top with tiny pepper.

Adapted from https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/three-bean-spicy-vegan-buffalo-chili/ 

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Trick or Treat?

A balanced diet is a healthy diet.  Allowing yourself to enjoy a treat once and awhile really is okay!   

Halloween is once year, but the candy is around for many weeks before and after it has come and gone.  You can choose not to eat the candy, which is fine too.  However, if you do decided to indulge and have a few treats your best bet is to read the food labels for ingredients, calories and fat.  Choosing candy that contains the least amount of calories and fat can be a great choice, however that choice may not be satisfying for you. Choosing one that you would like and enjoy may be the better option in the long run. It is really about the amount of candy that you eat versus the one(s) you choose to eat. The fun size candy bars are really great, if you stick to the recommended serving amount! Most servings of these treats contain 150-200 calories or less. That is not a significant amount of calories when you consider that most individuals should be consuming close to 2,000 calories per day. 

Thinking about the calories and fat can take the fun out of the treats you choose. But, it is better to be aware of what you are choosing and then you can choose wisely! 

Some people over-indulge on Halloween and are done with the candy- while others will ration out their treats for a week or so. Either way is fine! However, if you continue to over-indulge for a week or so that is when you may start to realize that this holiday is adding some unwanted extra calories to your healthy eating plan.  

Halloween Candy can fit into a healthy eating plan if you practice moderation. Although, the fun size candies are great, eating a few at a time will add up to a full size candy bar. The table below can help you decide where you may want to spend or save calories.

Remember that Halloween is just the beginning of the holiday season so choose wisely!

Candy	Package Serving Size	Calories	Fat	Sugar	Tips
Tootsie Rolls	6 small pieces (40 g)	140	3 g	19 g	These little candies provide less fat and fewer calories than most in this table, However be aware that they are pretty sticky and may increase the risk for tooth decay.
Candy Corn (Brach’s)	21 pieces (40 g)	150	0 g	37 g	Fat-free is a plus here. But because these candies are also packed with sugar and will stick to your teeth!
Kit Kat	3 (2 piece snack size bars) (42 g)	210	11 g	21 g	The light wafer makes this bar less dense and therefore provides a lower in sugar amount per serving.
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses	7 pieces (32 g)	160	9 g	18 g	Note: Try to choose Special Dark version in order to add flavonoids/antioxidants
Hershey’s minatures	4 pieces (34g)	160	9	17 g	As mentioned above. Choosing the dark chocolate version is nice alternative.
M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies	fun size, 1 bag (27g)	130	5 g	17 g	If you choose peanut M & M’s you will get a few more calories and fat.
Milky Way	Fun size, 2 bars (34g)	160	4 g	20 g	Eat one or two, then freeze a few (a good idea for just about any candy bar).
Butterfinger	Fun size, 2 bars ( 21g)	170	6 g	16 g	Stick to the fun size!
Snickers	Fun size, 2 bar (34 g)	160	8 g	18 g	This is another good one to freeze!
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (snack size bats)	1 snack size (34g)	170	4 g	16 g	Just because it contains a little more peanut butter than chocolate doesn’t make it nutrient dense- still a candy bar!

Resources: The nutrition content found in the table above was obtained from food labels of the products
http://www.snickers.com/default.htm
http://www.hersheys.com/
http://www.milkywaybar.com/index.shtml
http://www.butterfinger.com/butterfinger.aspx
http://www.tootsie.com/
http://www.brachs.com/products/candy-corn

The table in this handout was adapted and updated from one found in the article Halloween Candy Nutrition: Calories, Fat - and Good News! by Carol M. Bareuther, RD. accessed October 1, 2018 http://familydoctormag.com/nutrition/1497-halloween-candy-nutrition-calories-fat-and-good-news.html

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The Meat Conundrum

We all know we should eat less meat, right? It’s better for our health; it’s better for the planet, it’s better for the animals. We know that eating less meat is good for many reasons, but are we reducing our meat intake? For those that love meat but want to be mindful of their consumption, supermarkets and restaurants can be a tough place to navigate.

The conventional way of raising meat is burdensome to the environment and less than stellar for the animals. According to the CDC, pollutants from factory farms can have a negative impact on humans and animals. The animals that call these factory farms home are treated as commodities and often experience intense confinement and inadequate treatment. This method of raising animals is viewed as the solution to feeding our growing population but is this really the best way forward? If you’re omnivorous and want to embark on a more mindful way of eating, you don’t have to abandon your burger all together.

LESS MEAT, BETTER MEAT
To improve animal welfare, reduce our carbon footprint and improve our health, we as eaters must vote with our forks. We should all be eating less but higher quality meat. To do so, we need to seek out animal proteins that have a higher standard of welfare. Finding a local supplier that you can develop a relationship with is great but perhaps not possible for everyone. It’s also important to familiarize yourself with food labels. Look for labels with a defined set of publicly available animal care standards that are third-party verified. In the café, look for dishes that blend meat with other ingredients like a mushroom blended burger.

MOVE MEAT BEYOND THE CENTER OF THE PLATE
There’s no question better meat can be expensive. If we think of meat as an indulgence and reduce the quantity that we consume, we can feel better about putting our hard earned dollars towards the good stuff. In countries around the world where meat is a luxury, it’s typically a garnish to the main dish of rice or noodles and lots of produce. Incorporating more dishes into your diet where meat plays a supporting role can reduce your meat intake without the feeling of deprivation.

SKIP MEAT NOW AND THEN
Another way to reduce your meat intake is to take a break from it for a meal or two throughout the week. Customize this to fit your lifestyle. Pick a night of the week to make a meatless meal. Others might prefer to skip meat at breakfast and lunch and have a small amount of animal protein at dinner.

Reference:

1. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/Environment.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/other/agricultural/afo.html
3. https://awionline.org/content/consumers-guide-food-labels-and-animal-welfare

Written by Julia Jordan.
OCTOBER 2018
balanceittakesyou.com

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