It was snowing today when I left for school, and it wasn’t much warmer when I came home for lunch and paper-writing. On such a grey day, I needed something warm and colorful--and the answer came in the form of this delicious vegetarian chili, thrown together from whatever I had on hand. It’s packed full of vegetables and protein, with two kinds of beans as well as quinoa, a South American grain that’s becoming more and more popular lately. For good reason: quinoa has tremendously high protein content (12%–18%), is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus, and is high in magnesium and iron. It’s gluten-free, too! In its natural state quinoa has a bitter coating that protects it from birds, but most quinoa sold in North America is pre-washed (you may want to rinse before using anyway, just to be sure).
I used an assortment of whatever vegetables and spices I had on hand--often adding a seasoning just because I could. I’ve starred the spices I consider essential. Pick and choose which seasonings you like, tasting frequently.
Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 - 1 1/2 cups chopped bell pepper (red, green, yellow)
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can sweet corn
*Cumin
*Red pepper flakes
*Ground chili powder
*Ground mustard powder
*Paprika
Cinnamon
Ground ginger
Dried basil
*Ground black pepper
*Kosher salt
Celery salt
Mesquite seasoning
Instructions
in a large pot, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions 1 - 2 minutes. Add garlic and chopped bell pepper and continue to saute until onions are soft and translucent. Meanwhile, rinse quinoa if desired. Add quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1 can diced tomatoes. Simmer about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and corn; add to pot. Add seasonings as desired and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until chili has thickened and quinoa are transparent in the center, about 10 - 20 minutes.
Serve with grated cheese, small cubes of avocado, crumbled cornbread, or Fritos corn chips.
Servings: around 6.
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2 comments:
So someday when you're planning for quinoa chili (as opposed to making it with what you have on hand), try this one--it is AMAZING. Not that I don't think yours wasn't amazing, but the cinnamon in this one is awesome. http://feedyourfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/quinoa-chili.html
Wow, thanks for the link! That recipe was actually what gave me the idea for this one--only I lost it, so I had to make this one up out of what I thought should go into a vegetarian chili. *grin* I did include cinnamon, but probably not enough.
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