As mentioned, Ralph and I are planning a slew of dinner parties over the next several weeks. For the most part, when we entertain, I’ll prep the day before in an effort to alleviate all stress from the evening’s festivities. Of course it doesn’t always work. Sometimes, I’ll have a little unexpected bump like getting lost in conversation and burning the fish! But for the most part, I run a pretty tight kitchen. It harkens back to my control freak personality disorder. At least, I’m aware of it…
I’m rambling.
Give me a minute to grab a cup of coffee. Perhaps that’ll keep me focused. It’s 5:30 am…
Ah…that’s better – back to my vegan chili.
I found some beautiful red quinoa while I was in Calgary and have been wanting to use it. It wasn’t until after I had the chili made that it occurred to me that using red quinoa in red chili is a little counter productive. Better to have used it where the red color could take centre stage. A nice quinoa salad would be perfect. Luckily, there’s some left-over so I’ll do that next week. OK – clearly, the coffee is not helping my segues. Holy smokes!
I made this vegan, protein packed quinoa chili for my non-meat eating dinner guests. It’s quick, easy, delicious and inspired by oh she glows.
Quinoa Chili – my meat eating husband love it!
Serves 8
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
2 cups cooked quinoa – I used red quinoa
2 – 28 oz cans diced plum tomatoes
2 cups water
1 small jar pickled sliced green chiles
2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste – 2 tablespoons makes it medium hot
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 – 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime
TOPPING SUGGESTIONS: Vegan cheese, chopped avocado or sliced green onions. NON-VEGAN TOPPINGS: Sour cream or Greek yogurt
THE STEPS:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a small mortar and grind
- Add ground spices to onion mixture and sauté for 2 minutes – it will be very fragrant
- Stir in quinoa, diced tomatoes, green chiles, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and 2 cups of water
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice until heated through.
- Serve immediately
THE LOVE: Grinding your own spices elevates the flavour of your dish. If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, you can place the spices between two pieces of waxed paper and crush them with a rolling pin. If you decide to use pre-ground spices, increase the volume by ¼ teaspoon.
click here for the printable recipe
one year ago: coconut cream pie
two years ago: maple pudding
Thanks for reading.
