Bobby Flay’s Vegetable Chili with Cumin-Lime Yogurt & Avocado-Shishito Relish

Wow. This was the best vegetarian chili I have ever experienced. It was a little bit labor intensive to prepare but the house smelled incredible and the resulting meal was worth the work.

This recipe was adapted from Bobby Flay’s new cookbook, Beat Bobby Flay, via today.com. Even after decreasing and adjusting the chili powders in the recipe, the chili was on the spicy side. It was well tempered with all of the toppings and I also served it over rice to balance the heat. Next time, I may omit one teaspoon of chili powder, noted below.

I loved all of the toppings and garnishes. The cotija cheese was absolutely essential. Healthy and fabulous vegetarian comfort food.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

For the Cumin-Lime Yogurt: (Makes 1 cup)

• 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, finely zested and juiced
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Avocado-Shishito Relish: (Makes about 2 cups)

• 2 Hass avocados, cut into large dice
• 2 T finely diced red onion
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 shishito peppers

For the Vegetable Chili:

• 8 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
• 8 cloves garlic, mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tsp ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp guajillo chile powder (I ground a guajillo chile in a spice grinder)
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp chili powder, optional (next time I would omit it)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer (I used a Fat Tire amber)
• 1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole plum tomatoes, undrained (I used San Marzano)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 2 large portobello mushrooms (about 11 oz), stems discarded, caps cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 cups 1/2-inch-diced peeled eggplant (1 large or 2 medium, about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 scallions, green tops and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon clover honey

To Serve:

• Cumin-Lime Yogurt (recipe above)
• Avocado-Shishito Relish (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup coarsely grated or crumbled queso blanco
• 1/4 cup finely grated Cotija cheese
• fried tortillas strips or crumbled tortilla chips, for garnish (optional)
• cornbread or cornbread muffins, for serving, optional

To Make the Cumin-Lime Yogurt:

1. Whisk together the yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin in a small bowl.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours before serving.

To Make the Avocado-Shishito Relish:

1. In a large bowl, combine the avocado, onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Using a fork, coarsely mash the ingredients together.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering.
5. Add the shishitos, season with salt and pepper, and cook until charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool for a few minutes, then finely dice.
6. Gently fold in the diced shishitos into the avocado mixture to combine.

Note: The relish can be made up to 4 hours in advance, tightly covered and refrigerated.

To Make the Vegetable Chili:

1. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
4. Add all of the chile powders, the coriander, and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and deepen in color, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the beer and cook over medium heat until the mixture is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down, about 10 minutes. Using a potato masher or wooden spoon, coarsely mash the tomatoes.
8. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the oregano. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.
9. While the sauce is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat.
10. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring a few times, until golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a large bowl.
11. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil.
12. Working in batches, add the eggplant in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring a few times, until golden brown and soft, about 5 minutes per batch. Add more oil, if necessary. (I cooked the eggplant in 3 batches.) Transfer the eggplant to the bowl of mushrooms.
13. Add the eggplant, mushrooms, and black beans to the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
14. Cook for 15 minutes to meld the flavors and thicken the mixture.
15. Stir in the cilantro and scallions and season with the honey, salt and pepper.

To Serve:

1. Ladle the chili into bowls, top with a dollop of the cumin-lime yogurt and avocado-shishito relish.
2. At the table, pass the queso blanco and Cotija cheeses, as well as some tortilla chips, if desired, to sprinkle over the top of the chili.
3. Offer cornbread or cornbread muffins on the side, if desired.

Roasted Shrimp with Salsa Calabrese

Did I mention that I met Bobby Flay this summer? It’s true! It was fun but really not that exciting. 😉 He came to our mall for the 10th anniversary of his first “Bobby’s Burger Palace” restaurant. I stood outside in a huge line in 90+ degree heat with my kids and friends for the opportunity to meet him. I think that I waited so long to share this news because the photo of me with Mr. Flay is terrible. I was also too shy to ask him to write to “the brook cook” in my new Bobby Flay cookbook. Ugh. Overall, we all had good time, I bought a great cookbook, and we got free milkshakes. 🙂

Now seems like the time to share this dish because it’s from his “Fit” cookbook, healthy and tasty. Perfect for the season of resolutions and dietary changes.

The recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay Fit: 200 Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson. I used graffiti eggplant instead of Japanese, grape tomatoes instead of plum, and increased the garlic. I made the dish a little more caloric by serving it over brown Basmati rice. Cauliflower rice would also be a nice option- or without rice as in the original recipe.

Yield: Serves 4

• 2 graffiti eggplants or 4 Japanese eggplants, about 1 pound, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 12 grape tomatoes or 2 seeded plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste, preferably Calabrian
• 5 T olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 21-25 count)
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• brown Basmati rice or cauliflower rice, for serving, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, preferably on convection roast.
2. In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 3 tablespoons of the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. Spread the vegetables on a large, parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring a few times, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor and purée until almost smooth. Add the vinegar and 1/4 cup of water, and continue processing until smooth.
5. Add the basil and the parsley and pulse a few times to incorporate while still leaving flecks of herbs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a bowl.
6. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the fennel and season with salt and pepper.
7. Spread the shrimp in an even layer on a large, parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until pink and firm and just cooked through, about 8 minutes.
8. To serve, spoon sauce over prepared rice, if desired, or in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Top with about 5 shrimp and garnish with whole basil leaves.

Note: The vegetable sauce can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.