Highly adjustable, use what you’ve got, Quinoa Chili. I’ve made this recipe vegan, venison, beef, pork… the sky is the limit.
This chili is a staple in our family when we are wanting an easy and hardy meal. It is especially a hit in the cooler seasons and is a perfect weeknight meal as we head into the busy fall. This dish is also great for using up the random canned and dry goods that have been sitting around in your pantry, and for finishing up produce that is going by in your fridge.
Ingredients:
2 lbs “meat” (you choose, ground, stewed, chorizo, pulled chicken, squash? your choice)
1 large onion, chopped or diced
1-5 garlic cloves (or garlic powder)
2-4 bell peppers add a couple spicy ones if you want heat (I’m cooking for kids, so I typically leave them out)
2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
1 large can whole or crushed tomatoes (or, if you’re like me, 3 cups of those miscellaneous tomato pieces you have in your freezer from your summer garden)
2 Tbl chili powder (I use Frontier, no salt added)
1 Tbl cumin powder
1 Tbl salt (maybe less if you aren’t salt fiends like my family)
1 can or 2 cups of cooked beans, black, pinto, white, kidney (whatever you like/have on hand)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1+ cup water or any type of stock
Directions:
1. In a large Crockpot, set it on high if you’ve only got 2-3 hours until dinner or low if you’ve got 6-8 hours until dinner
2. Add your corn (can be frozen), quinoa, liquid, beans and tomatoes directly to the Crockpot.
3. In a large skillet, sauté your onion
4. Add your garlic and peppers (depending on the size of your skillet you can either dump onions and peppers into Crockpot now or add meat to the skillet to cook all together)
5. Add your “meat” to the skillet
6. Add your salt, cumin & chili powder to the meat
7. Add skillet contents to Crockpot
8. Stir Crockpot, you should see just a bit of liquid
9. If you need more liquid, deglaze your skillet with stock or water and add that yumminess to the Crockpot
10. If you are cooking on low chili will be ready in 6-8 hours, if you’re cooking on high 2.5-3 hours is the cooking time
11. Top the finished product with cheese and sour cream and use tortilla chips as your edible spoon
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