Quinoa Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Chili is mostly always made with meat. Not this time. My husband and kids absolutely love this dish. It is a perfect blend of spices, beans for protein, and quinoa paired with a delicious Chenin Blanc on a cold winter night. You just can’t go wrong here.

Serve in a bowl with your favorite toppings or you can toast hamburger buns and pour the chili over the top like “Chili-Size”. For meat eaters, you can toss a hamburger patty on the toasted buns and pour chili over the top. Endless possibilities!

Yields: Enough for 6 adults or more

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 cup Vegetable broth
• 1 can (7 oz.) mild fire roasted diced green chiles with juice
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp. paprika
• ¼ tsp. granulated white sugar
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, to taste
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh, canned or frozen cut corn
• Juice of ½ of one lime
• Optional toppings: Fresh cilantro, guacamole, avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips or a side of corn bread.

Directions:

1. Prep your cans by opening all of them, draining and rinsing the beans ahead of time.
2. In a rice cooker, prepare your Quinoa. I use 1 cup of Quinoa and 2 cups of water with a splash of olive oil giving you some leftovers
3. In a large pot, heat olive oil for one minute on medium-high heat. Toss in the onion and sauté until tender, roughly 4-5 minutes adding in the garlic and cooking for 30 seconds
4. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, vegetable broth, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, paprika, sugar, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper
5. Bring mixture to a quick boil and then reduce to simmer covering pot and allowing to simmer for 30 minutes
6. Add in the kidney beans, black beans, and corn and simmering for another 30 minutes