Quinoa Chili

January 13th, 2010 by Dionna | 8 Comments
Posted in Healthy Living, Homey Goodness, Just for Fun/Miscellaneous, natural parenting

It doesn’t matter if you are a vegetarian – this meatless chili will quickly become a favorite for even the staunchest meat-eaters. Bursting with color and flavor, you can spice it up or down and add just about any vegetable that you want. The recipe* below is our favorite variation, but we’ve also tried this chili with zucchini, squash, tomatillos, green beans, kidney beans, etc.

This is also a handy meal to feed the freezer. Make a little extra and put it in a freezer-safe container before you put it all in the crockpot, then freeze. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it out and pop it in the crockpot per the directions below.

Quinoa Chili

Ingredients

1 cup dry quinoa (click the link to read about the amazing health benefits of quinoa!)
2 cans black beans (or the equivalent – I make big batches of dried black beans and freeze them in smaller portions)
1 can Garbanzo beans (ditto above; be sure to rinse all beans if you are using canned)
Diced tomatoes (I usually use 1 can of lime/cilantro Rotel and 2 cans of plain diced tomatoes – you can spice it up with other types of Rotel)
1 can corn (undrained; if you use frozen corn, just add some water)
2 carrots (chopped)
1 diced bell pepper (red, orange or yellow – they are all tasty!)
Spinach (fresh, frozen, or canned)
Cilantro (we use a lot – Tom and I agree that you really need this flavor to pop to make the chili)
Diced onion (about 1/2 an onion)
Lime juice (I add a good splash – probably 4 or 5 tbsp worth)
Cumin (to taste – maybe 1/2 tsp)
Minced garlic (about 2 tsp)
Other spices to taste (I have green chili seasoning that we love to add, I could also see red pepper flakes being a nice addition)
Serving ideas: grated cheese, tortilla chips, diced green chile, sour cream

Directions

Cook quinoa according to directions
Boil carrots until they are tender
Throw everything into the crockpot and cook on low for about 4 hours.

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*My recipe is based on one I found here.
p.s. My friend Emily has started a recipe blog – she likes this chili so much it was her introductory post!

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