Perfect Vegetable Chili with Quinoa
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can refried beans or pinto beans (drained and rinsed, if pinto)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper, to taste
avocado, to garnish
cilantro, to garnish
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute onions, carrots, and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add cumin, chili powder, red peppers and garlic, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Deglaze the pot with tomatoes. Cook 1 minute, then stir in beans, making sure refried beans are fully incorporated (if using). Bring to a boil, then stir in broth and quinoa.
4. Cover and cook over medium heat until quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and serve topped with fresh avocado and cilantro.
Source of recipe: I based this recipe on chili that I had on a canoe trip that ended up being amazing.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
So we read all the great reviews and decided to try this recipe. I've been laid up with a broken ankle for a while so hubby has been doing most of the cooking...and using a lot of the vegweb recipes. We thought this recipe would be so good. I was resting when he finished cooking and he came to get me for dinner. When I asked him if it turned out well, he said he didn't think so. I figured he was kidding around, so I was looking forward to a wonderful bowl of chili. WELL...the first thing I noticed was that it looked very dry, not like chili at all. But looks can be deceiving. I next tasted the dish and was struck by how salty it was. I ended up adding some hemp hearts and plain nonfat yogurt to my serving to offset the saltiness. We discussed our disappointment with the recipe, but ate it anyway. While eating it, hubby decided to review the recipe...and VOILA! He discovered he mistakenly added only a 14 ounce can of tomatoes instead of the necessary 28 ounces. Oh what a difference one ingredient can make. Our mistake, so we will give it another try later on...carefully reading the recipe next time! Thought you all might enjoy our little mishap!
We make this all the time; we absolutely love this recipe! Recently we have been pan frying some diced potatoes and adding those into the mix, which is also excellent. Thank you for such a marvelous meal! :-)
Very good and one for the recipe box. I ended up blogging this on www.peacefultable.blogspot.com. Thanks for such a great recipe!
This was AMAZING! I also swapped in kidney beans with the black beans, and did corn instead of carrots. Otherwise, it was perfect. Didn't have any avocado, but definitely next time. As my fiance said--this needs to be a staple! Loved it!
Very good, and makes a lot, enough to freeze some too. The minimal amount of crushed red pepper doesns't come through so if you want it hotter, make sure to add some more or some cayenne or chilis or something. Thanks for this recipe.
I used kidney beans instead of refried or pinto beans, I used 1.5 tbsp of light chili powder and .5 tbsp of chioptle powder, added some corn, and followed the rest of the recipe the same. It was very, very good. Unfortunately the brand of vegetable bouillon I used has MSG in it, so next time I'm going to try to find one without, and use refried beans like the recipe called for.
This is wonderful with the avo and cilantro! I've never had chili before, so I don't really know how liquid it's supposed to be, but mine turned out a little more watery than I'd have liked. Next time I'll use a little less broth or a little more quinoa.
Fabulous!! I also used quinoa which was great. I will be making this regularly from now on!
Very yummy! I added corn. A great way to use up some quinoa I bought in bulk online (6 pounds!) My husband liked it too. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh, this sounds good. I am putting this right into my recipe box and will make it this week. I need a new chili to replace my non vegan one which had a ton of meat, and so far my husb has vetoed every thing I have tried.