Quinoa Chili Recipe

Seems I'm on a quinoa kick lately. But then it's versatile, delicious and so good for you. My latest quinoa recipe is inspired by one I saw at the 1/2 Marathon my husband ran last month in Nashville. Of course I had to go with him and we did a lot of fun things.

We have friends who joined the exodus from California and moved to Nashville (Franklin actually) three years ago. They've had an open invitation to come stay, with a promise to show us around. We started out in Memphis with a visit to Graceland. Then on to Nashville for the 1/2 marathon, the Franklin countryside, the honky tonks of Broadway and the Ryman Auditorium. And let's not forget tea at the Frothy Monkey, touring Dave Ramsey's headquarters, seeing Brad Paisley up close and personal backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and a road trip to Lexington to see horse farms and historical bourbon distilleries. We had a blast!

Back to the chili.

This is a simple recipe that you can pull together in a pinch. I did not have green peppers, but I had zucchini's so that's what I used. Be creative. Don't be afraid to experiment.

It's a little early for fresh corn so you'll be using frozen until summer. I always keep some in my freezer to throw into dishes I'm preparing.

A couple notes about the spices: sumac and chili powder. I've seen sumac in various recipes, but was never able to find any. Then I found some at Trader Joe's in a four-pack spice mix. Now I see why it's so liked. It's got a sweet and sour flavor on my taste buds. I hope you can find some. Let me know what you think.

As far as the chili powder, start with just 1/4 teaspoon, then taste. Chili can so easily overwhelm a recipe—so take care.

Quinoa Chili

from Chris Pedersen

yield 6-8 servings

category Main Course

cuisine Vegan

ingredients

1 medium, yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper or zuchinni, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, pressed

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

2 ears corn or 1-10 oz pkg of orgainc frozen corn

1 C organic vegetable broth

1/2 C rinsed quinoa

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 15 oz cans of organic black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can of organic diced tomatoes

1/2 -1 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp sumac

1 lime, optional

directions

1. If using fresh corn, cut corn from the cob (about 1 1/2 C).

2. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in medium sauce pan. Add quinoa—stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer until water is absorbed (12-15 mintues).

3. While quinoa cooks, preheat large stock pot on medium-high then add olive oil and stir in peppers or zuchinni, corn and garlic. Cook while stiring 4-5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beans, tomatoes and seasoning. Add quinoa and stir. Cook for 20 minutes to heat through.

5. Stir in cilantro and serve with a wedge of lime (optional).

If your prefer a soupier chili, you can add a can of tomato sauce. The quinoa makes this chili a lighter version of chili—perfect for spring or summer. Plan on making this when you can get fresh corn.

Do you eat soups all year? What are your favorite soups for summer?