Chock full of veggie chili - My Southbeach favourite

Tiny mountains of dirty clothes here and there, empty suitcases, heaps of unopened letters, speckles of dust settled in every shelf - This is how my living room looked few days ago. I was away on couple of short vacations for the last two weeks and once back, I had tons of other stuff to sort and those things kept me busy for days together. Once done with laundry, house cleaning and fixing up my laptop, I have popped into say a big hi to all my readers. 

This is a quick post is say that I am alive and kicking and I will be back with lots of South beach friendly dishes ASAP. The post for today is Chock full of veggie chili. This is a hearty vegetarian soup which is delicious and also packed with nutritions. I found this recipe in the South beach diet book and it is a perfect dish for phase 1 dieters. This soup can cooked in large amount and can be stored in the refrigerator for couple of days.

Serves 4

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bell peppers - any color (I used green ones)

1 1/2 cup mushrooms - chopped

1 large onion - chopped

2 celery stalks - chopped

3 garlic cloves - minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans

1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt added diced tomato, with juices

Method

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add  garlic, onions, peppers, mushrooms and celery; cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes.

Add chili powder, oregano, cumin and salt; cook for another 5 minutes. Mix in the beans and tomatoes. Cook covered for 30 minutes on low flame. Serve hot.

Note:

1. Since the sauce was little thick for me, I added little hot water to the consistency of my choice.

2. For phase 1 dieters,serve them with a dollop of non-fat yogurt.

3. For phase 2 and 3 dieters, eat with  whole wheat pita chips toasted in little olive oil.