Vegetarian chilli 3-in-1
Beans and pulses contain as much protein as fillet steak, but at a fraction of the cost, and they have many more health benefits. They are high in fibre, folate, potassium and zinc.
You can make three separate dishes with the chilli:
CHILLI BEANS ON TOAST: Serve the chilli on slices of toasted whole-nutty bread or on rye crispbreads.
VEGETARIAN CHILLI PASTA: Serve with an 75g portion of wholewheat pasta and some salad.
VEGETARIAN CHILLI FILO PIE: Sover the chilli with filo pastry (see below), which makes for a lovely, crunchy, low-fat pie topping.
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced (or the equivalent in frozen pepper slices)2 x 400g cans mixed beans, drained and rinsed1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped, or 1 teaspoon chilli flakes500g tomato passata2 tsp light muscovado sugar2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
To make the vegetarian chilli filo pie:
1 packet (approx. 250g) filo pastry sheetsOlive oil, for drizzling
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan and sauté the onion, garlic and sliced peppers for 4–5minutes until they start to soften
Add all the remaining ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
At this stage you can serve the chilli as Chilli Beans on Toast or Vegetarian Chilli Pasta (remember to hover your hand over your plate for portion size)
To make the Vegetarian Chilli Filo Pie, spoon the cooked chilli into a large pie dish or individual small ovenproof ramekins
Take one sheet of filopastry at a time and scrunch it up into a ball. Pop the balls on top of your pie(s), sprinkle with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, until the pastry has browned and the filling is piping hot (it doesn’t take long to cook because the filo pastry is so light and thin)Get the recipe
From The Bikini Promise, by Sally Bee. Published by Kyle Books, priced £14.99Photography by Clare Winfield