This easy zero-fat vegetarian chilli —actually its baseline is vegan— is a highly adaptable dish, making it perfect for mixed groups of diners, if losing weight is one of your New Year resolutions or for any other reason. This version has minimal fat, but there are also instructions on how to do it with absolutely no fat at all. Argue amongst yourselves if you think it's more Tex-Mex or Mexican. Either way, it's not authentic...
Ay, Caramba!
I started the new year by having a surgical procedure; a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal by keyhole surgery) to be precise. But, I suspect you might not want to know that when reading about food. However, it means that I have to reintroduce fat back into my diet from a position starting at zero or very near to it. You can see why I thought I might not be publishing any recipes on here for a month or more.
Then I thought about it again. This surgical procedure is now one of the most prevalent operations performed on adults in the UK. As someone who loves cooking and food, my biggest anxiety was how I would cope with the radical adjustment-period dietary regime. So, I put in time to research and experiment to prepare myself. It seems to be paying off. The result is that the fat-free and near zero-fat recipes that I have developed are both very tasty and have seen me experience no digestive problems since last week's surgery.
So, I thought I should share them for the benefit of others undergoing the procedure or, indeed, for anyone that wants to minimise their fat intake.
A most adaptable chilli
This recipe serves 3 to 4 adults. It's vegan by default. But, I'm doing two versions here. The first version is served with rice, the second with tortillas and chicken, which is only added to the baseline recipe just before serving. And the condiments I'm using are vegan or lactovegetarian. Thus, it's not hard to see how this is a highly adaptable recipe suited to a group of diners with mixed dietary requirements.
When it comes to how "hot" a dish is, it's all relative and I'm of that camp that has loved spicy food since childhood. But, pragmatically, I'd say this recipe produces a "medium spicy" dish using the spices and ingredients at these quantities. Don't be fooled by tasting too early: you don't get a sense of how spicy it will be until it's half-cooked. So, don't go adding too much additional spice before then, even if you want it spicier. Yet, if you're not wild about spicy food—or to err on the side of caution—I suggest halving the quantities of the following in this recipe, at least until you've tasted it at the halfway point: the sliced fresh hot red chilli; the chipotle flakes; and the pimentón. You can always add additional spice if it proves too mild. The rest of the ingredients are not "hot".
The fat factor
Simple post-operative guidance for those undergoing gall bladder removal is that they should have no more that 3g of fat per meal for two to four weeks after the operation and only then start reintroducing it to their diet very slowly in increments. And, that is regardless of what kind of oil or fat it is: forget all that stuff about "good" and "bad" fats in this case. So, sadly no guacamole with this one...
To give you some notion of comparison, a healthy low-to-moderate daily fat intake for adults should ordinarily be between 50 and 80g, though eating notably more fat is not necessarily unhealthy, depending on overall diet and level of physical activity.
Assuming that you will get three adult portions out of this recipe—again, you're advised to eat smaller portions than usual during post-operative recovery—each portion will contain just over 2mg of fat. It is, however, possible to cook a completely fat-free version—check out the additional notes at the end.
Similarly, the best minced red chillies that I'm using here are preserved in chilli oil. So you need to factor that in if you want to use more chilli at the outset i.e. either reduce the sunflower oil you use OR mince your own fresh red chillis and use a dab more sunflower oil.
Precisely because there is so little fat in this recipe, I prefer to start off the very first stage—sautéing the onions and smoked garlic—in a smaller, deep non-stick saucepan that affords more control over sticking. But, there is no reason that you can't do it in a single larger pot. You'll just have to stir it constantly to prevent sticking.
Similarly, you can use the spices in the recipe below or one of the various readymade "fajita seasoning" options out there. But, two simple pieces of advice: they vary considerably in how spicy they are so adjust spice quantities according to your tastes; and many of them, though seemingly "spice" actually contain quite a lot of fat, which rather defeats the point of this recipe. You wont use all of the spices mixed together below for this one dish. That's not a problem: store in a spice jar and use as seasoning or in a range of dishes another time.
Like risotto, traditional "Mexican golden rice", is traditionally cooked with toasting the rice in lard or oil before cooking with spices, stock and vegetables. Sure, this version doesn't have the richness of the authentic versions with fat, but it's delicious in a lighter way.
This recipe feeds 3 to 4 diners. Scale up or down as needed.
Shopping list
for the zero-fat vegetarian chilli
1 large onion, roughly diced
3 tspns of smoked garlic, finely chopped (or fresh garlic)
1 large red bell pepper; cut vertically into fairly thin slices
3 or 4 large carrots, cut into chunky batons
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in their juice
1 400g tin of red kidney beans, in water (or tinned black beans)
1 large fresh hot red chilli, sliced
1 tspn pimentón (smoked paprika)
1.5 tspns smoked chipotle flakes
½ tspn cumin powder
1 tspn dried oregano
2 tspns dried parsley
1 tspn coarsely milled black pepper
Approx. two heaped tbspns of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Approx. 100g closed-cup mushrooms; sliced
5 or 6 fresh baby sweetcorn, roughly sliced (or 1 cup of tinned/defrosted sweetcorn)
1 vegetable stock cube diluted in a cup of boiling water (or fresh stock)
1 tbspn concentrated tomato purée
the juice and zest of 1 fresh lime
½ cup white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
1 tspn soy sauce
salt to taste
1 tspn of minced red chillies
2 tspns demerara sugar (or coarse brown sugar)— only if needed
to accompany —versions
version one: with rice
1 cup long grain rice
1 vegetable stock cube, diluted in boiling water (or chicken stock)
1 tspn concentrated tomato purée
2 handfuls of sweetcorn, chopped peppers, jalapeños or peas in any combination (optional)
1 tspn dried cumin seeds
2 dried bay leaves
the juice and pulp of 1 small lime (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
version two: with tortillas and chicken
flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or tacos; to preference
1 skinless chicken breast per diner; steamed or boiled and cooled
1 large onion, cut into fairly thin slices
spices, see the mixed spices above
the juice, pulp and zest of 1 lime
to accompany — for either version (optional)
Fat-free fromage frais (or Greek yoghurt), approx. 100ml (optional)
A salsa of chopped raw tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber dressed in vinegar and lime juice (you can also add chopped chillies or jalapeños if desired)
A simple salad of tomatoes, cucumber , carrots and rocket (arugula)
iceberg lettuce, sliced into strips
fresh lime segments
Cooking Method
for the zero-fat vegetarian chilli
Blend all of the dry spices together—except for salt and smoked chipotle flakes—using a pestle and mortar or spice mill. And, ensure your vegetable stock is at hand in liquid form, whether by default or dilution
Add the minced chillies, smoked garlic and 1 tspn of sunflower oil to a small non-stick saucepan. Heat on a medium/high heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Cook for barely a minute, then add the chopped onion, stirring vigorously to ensure that as much of the onion is coated as possible in the tiny bit of oil. Add just a little less than 1 tspn of the dry spice mix and stir in
Keep stirring continuously to prevent sticking and burning. When that seems no longer possible, add the white wine vinegar and the vegetable stock, approx. 2 tbspns at a time; just enough to prevent sticking. Repeat this action every time the liquid cooks off, stirring all the time. When the onions show signs of softening, add the soy sauce and squeeze in the lime juice. Keep cooking and stirring: you're effectively mildly caramelising the onions rather than sautéing them. When they are cooked but al dente, remove from the heat. You will probably use about half of the vinegar before this is achieved. You can actually complete this step some time before (and store, covered in the fridge)
Add 1 tspn of the oil to a large, deep pot with a lid. Add the pre-cooked onion, chilli and garlic to the cold pot and heat on a medium heat. Add the sliced bell pepper almost immediately, as soon as the pot is hot enough to make the onions begin sizzling. Stir the ingredients continuously as the pot heats, preventing sticking. Your aim is to coat as much of the bell pepper in juices and oil as possible and to cook as long as you can before sticking becomes inevitable
Add another tspn of the spice mix and the dried chipotle flakes. Stir continuously, allowing the spices to cook for a minute. Then pour in the remainder of the vinegar, stirring almost continuously. If this cooks off too quickly and the ingredients begin to stick, pour in a little vegetable stock. Keep stirring
When the bell pepper softens slightly, add the sliced mushrooms and stir in. Mushrooms naturally release liquid that should make the ingredients less likely to stick. If not, add a little more stock, just enough to prevent sticking. Cover and sweat the ingredients together, uncovering and stirring regularly.
After about 5 or 6 mins, the mushrooms should be fairly well sautéd. Add the tinned tomatoes, lime zest and the remainder of the stock. Dilute the tomato purée with boiling water in the empty tomato can and add about a third of the liquid to the pot. Stir, cover and increase to a high heat. Boil the ingredients vigorously for 5mins. Reduce to a medium heat, re-cover and simmer for 20mins, stirring occasionally
Add the carrot batons. Pour in the remainder of the tomato purée dilution. Stir, cover and simmer for an additional 15mins, stirring occasionally. After this, tasting the liquid in the pot should confirm that the tomato flavours are beginning to taste "half-cooked" (if not, simmer for a further 5mins). Tasting the liquid at this point will give you an accurate indication of how spicy the final dish will be. If you think you would prefer it spicier, add more of the spice mix and/or minced chillies
Add the baby sweetcorn. If there is not enough liquid to largely cover the ingredients in the pot, add barely enough boiling water to achieve this. Bring the ingredients back to a healthy simmer for a few minutes. Cover and reduce to a low heat, very gently simmering the contents for a further 30mins; stirring occasionally.
Drain and rinse the the red kidney beans. Add to the pot and stir in. Re-cover and simmer for another 15mins, stirring occasionally. Again, if it becomes too dry (this generally means the heat is too high), add a little more water and stir in
Uncover and add the fresh chopped coriander. By now, the sauce should have substantially reduced. If it still seems a little to watery, add the demerara sugar, 1 tspn at a time, increasing to a medium heat and stirring as the sugar aids reduction until the desired consistency is achieved.
version one: golden rice
Thoroughly wash the long grain rice and add to a pot with a lid. Dilute the vegetable stock and tomato purée in two cups of boiling water and add to the pot. Add the cumin seeds, lime juice and pulp and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper (only if the vegetable stock is "very low salt", otherwise it's not needed)
Bring the pot to a vigorous boil. Add your preferred vegetables. Cover and reduce the heat, but only enough to ensure that the liquid remains at a hearty simmer. Cook covered for 15 to 20mins. Despite the promises of people telling you how to cook "the perfect rice", it really isn't a pure science. Everything from the depth of the pot to that altitude play a role. If the pot threatens to boil dry and the rice isn't yet cooked, add boiling water, a little at a time; only enough to line the bottom of the pot and prevent burning, then recover and continue until the rice is fully cooked
When the rice is cooked and almost all the liquid has evaporated, turn off the heat and recover for 3 or 4mins, allowing the residual heat of the pot to entirely cook off the liquid. Fluff the rice with a fork
Serve with the vegetarian chilli and preferred accompaniments and condiments
version two: lime chicken and tortillas
Spread the onion slices evenly on a non-stick baking tray. Sprinkle with a little of the mixed dried spices and drizzle evenly with lime juice
Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C for about 25 to 30mins, turning a couple of times. Alternatively you can use an air fryer or halogen oven (my preferred method), which take less time. You can also opt to grill them, but this takes much more effort to ensure they don't burn or blacken too heavily. You can do this immediately prior to preparing the chicken or you can do it some time before
Slice your cooked chicken breast/s or cut into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to a sealable container. Sprinkle with a little of the dried spice mix, add the lime juice and mix in. Add the cooked onions on top of the chicken, but don't stir in. Seal and allow it to absorb the flavours, ideally for at least 4 hours
Heat a non-stick frying pan on a high heat. When hot, add the chicken, onions and lime juice. Sear the ingredients, stirring continuously. The lime juice will bubble and cook of fairly quickly. Remember, these ingredients are already cooked so it is only to reheat and achieve any blackening you may prefer. Remove from the heat
Before you start searing the chicken and onions, heat your tortillas in the oven and ensure your veggie chilli is reheated to optimum temperature (I advise doing so in a pot since microwave reheating can cause the beans to "explode")
Plate or decant all elements, both hot and cold, to serving dishes and take to table so diners can build their own tortillas with whatever condiments they prefer
Alternatives
Bluntly, you don't need to add the chicken at all. This dish is a wonderful veggie or vegan dish simply by serving the rice version or, you could opt for the tortillas without the fromage frais or chicken; equally delicious.
I've yet to attempt a pescatarian version of this dish, though I suspect it could be good with pre-boiled calamari rings cooked in the same manner as the chicken above. However, carnivores, apart from chicken, turkey or ostrich, I can't think of a meat option that keeps the meal at the near-zero fat content.
Please note that I am not suggesting that his is a low-calorie dish (though it's not intrinsically high-cal, depending on portion size) but my focus is a very low fat regime rather than overall calories.
I'm opting to use carrots here, mainly because they're very easy to digest. But, if you prefer, it's great with sweet potatoes, small potatoes, celeriac or butternut squash as alternatives. NB: you may need to alter when you add them to the pot compared with the carrots since they all have different optimal cooking times.
One of the reasons I'm using red kidney beans is because I find they help with thickening the sauce without completely breaking up, meaning you don't need to reduce the liquid using sugar. Other beans more traditionally associated with Mexican cooking—such as black or adzuki beans—taste great but don't seem to help the sauce thicken.
The true zero-fat version
As mentioned above, it is possible to cook this recipe without any fat at all versus the trace fat version. But, before you do, unless you're doing so for a medical reason, you really shouldn't: contrary to some myths, a small amount of fat intake increases weight loss compared with overall zero-fat.
Follow the first stage of the chilli recipe pretty much as above. Obviously, use minced or very finely chopped fresh red chillies, not the kind preserved in oil.
Before cooking, marinade the chopped garlic in a little white wine vinegar or a dab of white wine for at least and hour.
Heat a dry non-stick pan on a medium-high heat. When hot, add the garlic with the vinegar and sizzle for a minute or so, stirring. As soon as the vinegar cooks off, before the garlic burns, add the onion and about 4 tbspns of vinegar (or white wine). Stir vigorously to prevent sticking. When the liquid cooks off, add the stock and more vinegar exactly in the manner outlined in the recipe above
Similarly, when starting on the second stage in the larger pot—before you add the bell pepper and mushrooms—add your pre-cooked onions to the cold pot, spread evenly across the bottom of the pot and heat on a medium heat. As soon as the onions show signs of sizzling, add a fairly generous dash of vinegar (or white wine) almost immediately and stir to prevent sticking. The follow the recipe as above. NB: with the zero-fat version, you really will need to stir almost continuously to prevent sticking. And, because the ingredients are only ever in direct contact with the hot pot minimally, these early stages take slightly longer for your ingredients to be optimally sautéed.
Pairings
This new recipe is one that I only developed in preparing for surgery, so I was already on the wagon by the time I first cooked it. I can imagine that it would probably be good with various reds such as a woody, heavier tempranillos to pick up on the smokier flavours in the dish. That said, it's a fairly light dish overall due to the lack of fats and my gut instinct (sorry, I can't resist a bad pun) is to look in the direction of a côtes du Rhône or pinot noir; something with enough of a presence to address the spices, but not swamp the palate. You let me know...
On the non-booze front, my odd post-operative craving to have it with sugar-free sparkling bitter lemon on ice has proven fully on the money. And, when I made the version with chicken, I had it with a drink that really is great with it: iced maté tea mixed with apple and elderflower. Maté tea is one of the drinks on the recommended list and I haven't had it for years so I thought I would give it a whirl. Really glad I did.
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