Game Plan

Super Bowl 2012 is right around the corner, February will be here before you know it. Usually this day consists of a lot of bad food options and evil temptations. One way to avoid losing complete control during this day of artery clogging madness is to make a PLAN!

If you are having super bowl at your house, or are bringing a dish to a friends place, plan to make some heart healthy options to replace the normal bad choices, avoid anything fried or swimming in cheese.

Ideas: 

Dips: Pair these dips with some fresh cut veggies and some whole wheat pita chips

• Hummus
• Guacamole
• Salsa

Instead of the fat laden beef chili usually cooked on Game Day, this vegetarian chili is a great healthy substitute. You can make it as spicy as you want. I also added some black beans to make it extra hearty. If you can't go without the meat, substitute ground turkey for ground beef to keep it waistline happy.

Vegetarian Chili (adapted from the South Beach diet)

2 Servings

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight (or 2 cans of beans)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onions
1/2 large sweet red pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 large green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (wear plastic gloves when handling)
3/4 tablespoons mild chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
dash ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups water (or broth, I used a combo of veggie broth and a can of diced tomatoes w/juice)
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

InstructionsDrain and rinse the beans. Set aside. In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and sizzle for 5 seconds. (Jen- If using ground cumin skip this part) Add the garlic, onions, red peppers, green peppers, jalapeño peppers, chili powder, oregano, and cinnamon. Sauté over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans and water.
Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the beans are tender. (Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry during cooking.)
Stir in the tomato paste and salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Nutritional Information:
328 calories
4.1 g fat mono
0 mg cholesterol
58.4 g carbohydrate
18.6 g protein
3.9 g fiber

391 mg sodium