Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Recipe: Vegetable chili with quinoa


Recipe: Vegetable chili with quinoa

Over the summer I became obsessed with quinoa.  I think it's seriously the greatest food ever! So so good for you.  I found this quinoa chili recipe on www.vegweb.com.  Incidentally I also love vegweb.  I'm not vegan or even vegetarian but there are tons of great recipes on there.  I've tried a few and they are all delicious : ) I don't like spicy foods so I alter the spices a bit...definitely leave the chili powder and crushed red peppersout if you're like me.  I forgot one time and made the recipe as is and I couldn't even eat it, it was SO hot.


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
2 to 3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
14 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
14 ounces refried beans or pinto beans (drained and rinsed, if pinto)
1 cup quinoa
2 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
avocado and cilantro, to garnish

Directions:

1) Heat oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute onions, carrots, and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, red peppers and garlic, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2) Deglaze the pot with tomatoes. Cook 1 minute, then stir in beans, making sure refried beans are fully incorporated. Bring to a boil, then stir in broth and quinoa.

3) Cover and cook over medium heat until quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with fresh avocado and cilantro.

Source of recipe: I based this recipe on chili that I had on a canoe trip that ended up being AMAZING.

Makes: 6-8 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes

*I used 1.5 cups of broth and was happy with the consistency, and I used more beans than the recipe called for.

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