Fall Bucket List #25: make cozy fall comfort foods - Healthy Black Bean Chili

Lately I've been trying to stick to my healthy eating lifestyle (let's not call it a diet) and trying to incorporate more "real" foods in my diet as well as the right foods I need to slim down, feel more energetic, and overall just more healthy. Plus with the weather getting cooler - nothing is more comforting than hearty comfort foods.

What resulted was healthy black bean chili over brown rice. Topped with diced avocado.

Last night I cooked up this black bean chili (black beans are so good for you!) over a bed of brown rice (also excellent and full of vitamins in comparison to its white rice counterpart) and topped it with some diced avocado (which is seriously a superfood and full of all the good fats!) It was really delicious and I felt like I was sticking to my "healthy eats" so I wanted to share it with all of you. You can also opt to make it with turkey (which would make this recipe even leaner) but I used ground beef which I already had in the fridge. 

Healthy Black Bean Chili 

(recipe from finecooking.com and can be found here.)

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained 

1 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes 

1 medium chipotle plus 2 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce) 

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 lb. 85% lean ground beef 

Kosher salt 

1 large red onion, finely diced 

1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder 

2 tsp. ground cumin 

1 lime, juiced 

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 ripe avocado, cut in a medium dice 

Put one-third of the beans into the bowl of a food processor, along with the tomatoes and their juices, chipotle, and adobo sauce. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or similar heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until it’s shimmering hot, about 2 min. Add the beef, season with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until it loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate using a slotted spoon. Add half of the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until it begins to brown and soften, about 3 min. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for 20 seconds. Add the remaining black beans, the puréed bean mixture, and the beef to the pot and simmer for 10 min., stirring frequently. Add half of the lime juice, half of the cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is thicker than you like, it may be thinned with water.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the remaining lime juice and onion with the avocado. Season generously with salt and pepper.

**The original recipe says you can top it with sour cream, but I opted for the avocado which  is cool and creamy like the sour cream but much healthier -- and of course some fresh cilantro -- LOVE**

Enjoy : )

-Pretty Little Things