Bonnie: I discovered Kettle Cuisine a couple of years ago when looking for gluten-free products. All its gluten-free soups are tasty enough for anyone.  As a refresher, gluten is the protein found in wheat and other grains including rye and barley. And those with celiac disease must avoid it, as gluten damages their digestive system.

Kettle Cuisine Three Bean Chili also is organic, all natural, dairy free and vegetarian and uses ingredients you’d use when making your own chili. I prefer mine with more intense seasoning, but that’s easy to fix with one soupçon of a hot pepper sauce. And I like to serve it over rice. It also was easy to fix – and I zapped a cup of Village Harvest Frozen Brown Rice in the microwave for less than a minute, and served this tasty chili over that to make it even more nutritious.

You might also add some shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I’d use jalapeño MJ cheese), and consider topping your nachos with the chili.

One bowlful of Kettle Cuisine Three Bean Chili contains a mere 220 calories, 3.5 grams total fat, 450 milligrams sodium and more than half the day’s recommended fiber (13 grams). That, plus it’s an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C, calcium and iron.

This chili is great anytime for anyone with or without celiac disease.  Although some people without celiac disease are trying a gluten-free diet thinking it’s healthy, it’s not unless you know what you’re doing, as the diet can be low in fiber, B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium and fiber.

Bryan: Though I’ve a love/hate battle with frozen foods, it is the love that generally wins out. While I do love the concept of fresh, and the process of cooking, I’m also realistic enough to know that I just can’t do it every night. To that end, there’s nothing worse than groceries gone bad, wilting produce or sour-smelling meats.

Cooking is a passion, but sometimes it’s all about the freezer or the pantry. I just need some foods around that won’t go bad and that are easy to prepare, and I wouldn’t mind if they’re delicious, as well. So, if I don’t want to cook, I look in the freezer. What I found most recently was Kettle Cuisine Three Bean Chili.

Kettle Cuisine’s chili line is gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian and really quite tasty. Loaded with beans, corn and four kinds of peppers, this is a substantial meal… and tremendously easy to prepare. Three to four minutes in the microwave! That’s it! Chili would normally take you over an hour for prep and cook time; why not just eat, once in a while!

Eric: Living in a ski town there is no bigger urge, for me, than getting back from the slopes, cracking an ice cold beer and enjoying a warm bowl of chili (or soup). There is something so comforting, not to mention filling, about a hearty chili. What was attractive about the Kettle Cuisine chili was the absence of meat — there is nothing wrong with getting your protein from the all important bean (in this case three varieties of bean), as sometimes turkey or beef in a chili just simply takes away from the flavor and adds unnecessary calories and fat.

You’ll be impressed when you look at the ingredient list of the Kettle Cuisine Three Bean Chili: Aside from a naturally derived citric acid, there’s truly nothing on the list that you can’t pronounce. The kicker for me: 13 grams of fiber, 11 grams of protein, 220 calories and only 3.5 grams of fat in one serving.

What more could you truly ask for from a meal? If you want to plan ahead and take it a step further, buy a crusty, round, sourdough bread, scoop out the inside to make a bread bowl and pour in the chili. For those novices, click here.