Quinoa Chili

Every year on the last weekend before Halloween we visit with T's mom .. at the Indian Lake Campgrounds for The Annual Halloween Campout. Every year, the menu includes Chili, Beef & Vegetable Soup, Shredded Chicken sandwiches and cupcakes and desserts galore ... of course along with all the candy that you could possibly want to eat. Since both T and I are plant-based this year, I decided to bring along a plant-based Chili. I asked folks on our 'New Herbies' page on facebook what their most favorite Chili recipe was and I got a few suggestions ... and this one (Savvy Vegetarian) seemed the most interesting. Since we have to leave early tomorrow to get to the campgrounds, I decided to make it tonight on the stove top, although the website provides the crock-pot version as well. After making it as described, I decided that it didn't meet our expectations at all. My husband is a new herbie and I needed to live up to his expectations of "real" chili. The recipe below is my uber-modified version. The biggest change is 0% Added Fat. 

Quinoa Chili

Prep Time: 60 min, with prep time included.

Ingredients (12 servings):

1. 1 Medium Red Onion, diced
2. 3 Stalks of Celery, diced
3. 1 Jalapeño, deseeded, diced
4. 2 tbsp minced Garlic
5. 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
6. 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
7. 2 cups Quinoa, rinsed and drained.
8. 1 can (15oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
9. 1 can (15 oz) Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
10. 2 cans (15 oz) Dark Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
11. 1 can (15 oz) Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, with Garlic
12. 3 cans (8 oz) Tomato Sauce, unsalted
13. 8 cups Water or Vegetable Broth
14. 3-4 tsp Cumin powder
15. 6-8 tsp Coriander powder
16. 3-4 tsp Italian seasoning
17. 2-4 tsp Taco seasoning
18. 2 tsp dried Basil
19. 1-2 tsp dried Cilantro
20. 2 tsp Paprika (add more, to taste)
21. 3 tsp Chipotle Pepper (add more, to taste)
22. 2 large Bay leaves
23. 2 tbsp Light Molasses
24. 4 tbsp Soy Sauce, or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
25. Salt and Pepper, to taste
26. Fresh Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

In a large pot, add diced onions, celery, jalapeño and garlic and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Cook until both onion and celery are translucent. Add diced bell peppers, and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add remaining ingredients and all the spices except for the 'hot' spices which should be added once the quinoa is cooked and even then mix in the chili peppers slowly and taste test frequently. Add water or broth as needed once the quinoa is cooked to get to the right consistency for chili. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Quinoa Chili

Our Assessment: Tony LOVED it!!! He's a 'real' chili guy and he LOVED IT!!!! I am so excited. He wants me to add this version (with my modifications) to our regular rotation and guess what? Winter is here ... we'll be eating a lot of it.  The pot is now sitting in the fridge. Tomorrow, I plan to transfer it to my crock pot first thing in the morning. I'll check consistency again, and add broth if needed. Let's hope someone in our Omni family, besides us, is willing to try it. It is truly yummy!!

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 464 (Fat Calories 27)
Total Fat 3.0 g; Cholesterol 0 g; Carbohydrates 85.3 g; Dietary Fiber 18.3 g; Sugars 8.1 g; Protein 26.3 g