Soup of the Week: Chili con Surprises!

Here it is, the first day of a ‘normal’ week, and for that I am truly thankful. Holidays are nice, of course, but ours are made even more hectic because two birthday parties are tossed in the mix. Mondays are typically busy for me as this is my errand/grocery shopping day as well as tidying up the house from the weekend. To make the day go smoothly, I usually make soup because we can have it for both lunch and dinner.

This morning’s work included taking pictures for the Galion Inquirer while I was out and about in slushy snow in slightly above freezing temps as well as gathering facts about Northern Cardinals for the nature column I’ll be writing this week. If ever there was a perfect Monday for soup, this is it!

 

Chil with pumpkin puree and barley for extra nutrition

Today’s soup du jour is chili. I am not going to post a recipe, as I am sure that everyone has their own favorite way to make chili. What I am doing is sharing a few “surprise” ingredients that you may want to try. First is pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!). I add a cup to the soup, but if you are going to try this, you may want to start with less. Pumpkin does not seem to affect the flavor, adds extra nutrition, and makes the chili a bit thicker. Another unexpected additive is barley. I had some already cooked, so I added a cup. If you are using un-cooked, begin with ¼ to 1/3 cup as it really expands when cooked. Quaker Quick Barley is a good one to try. Again, barley adds extra nutrition while adding some bulk. Probably the most surprising of all is cinnamon. I used 1 teaspoon of Penzeys Vietamese Cinnamon, which seems to make the chili a bit sweeter. Since I don’t add sugar, it works out just fine.

The spices vary each time I make chili. Along with regular chili powder and a bit of turmeric, my favorite combo is Adobo spice and Arizona Dreaming from Penzeys. The Adobo is smoky and the Arizona Dreaming is a nice blend that has a sweet note.

Both cinnamon and turmeric are said to be healthy spices that we should eat more of, so I sneak them in whenever possible.

University of Illinois Extension lists these nutritional facts about pumpkin:

Pumpkin Nutrition Facts
(1 cup cooked, boiled, drained, without salt)

Calories 49 Protein 2 grams Carbohydrate 12 grams Dietary Fiber 3 grams Calcium 37 mg Iron 1.4 mg Magnesium 22 mg Potassium 564 mg

Zinc 1 mg Selenium .50 mg Vitamin C 12 mg Niacin 1 mg Folate 21 mcg Vitamin A 2650 IU Vitamin E 3 mg

Just about anything that you want to know about barley can be found at Barley Foods , which says that barley is a nutritional powerhouse, and for good reason! Check it out J

These ideas are not limited to chili; vegetable soups in particular benefit from having pumpkin added. What will you come up with?

Marcheta *Chasing the chill with souped up chili