I was looking for another dish wish lots of vegetables and I love chili con carne. So far, I have never cooked with quinoa myself, so this quinoa chili looked interesting. I bought a fancy red quinoa that was called "Grain of the Inkas". After having been to Mexico, this kinda spoke to me :)
The important part of this recipe is the spice mix - fresh spices (garlic, ginger, chilis, cilantro), ground seasonings (chili, cumin, coriander, paprika, sugar, cayenne, salt and pepper) and the pastes (tomato paste as well as harissa).
As I am not a big fan of using only "half" a bell pepper, or "half" a can of beans, this recipe will serve quite a few people, maybe around 6, but it does freeze well :)
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2/3 - 1 cup salt water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1-2 onions - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger - minced
- 3 chilis - sliced
- 2 carrots - diced
- 1 bell pepper - largly diced
- 1 small zucchini - diced
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable broth seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon harissa (chili paste)
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans
- 1 (15 oz) can corn
- optional: 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas or navy beans
- 1/2 chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 lime

- optional toppings: fresh cilantro, sour cream, cheese, taco chips, bread
Preparation:
- The first step is to boil the quinoa. You will need about 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa. Therefore use about 1/3 cup of uncooked quinoa. Rinse the quinoa in a fine meshed sieve with hot water, it might taste grainy or soapy otherwise. Bring twice as much of water to a boil (2/3 cups of water) and add the quinoa and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, then drain.
- Heat oil in a separate pot. Add onions, fry for 5 min till almost translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chilis and fry for another minute. Add the carrots and bell pepper, fry for about 3-5 more minutes. Stir to prevent burning. Add the zucchinis and a splash of white wine. Keep frying for 2 more minutes and stir.
- Now, add the diced tomatoes, fill up with the water and add the spices (vegetable broth, tomato paste, harissa, chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, sugar, cayenne pepper). Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat a little bit and let simmer for about 15 min.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain and rinse the beans (kidney beans, black beans, corn, navy beans and/or chickpeas), add to the vegetable-tomato-chili mix. Add the cooked quinoa and the fresh cilantro and heat up for a few minutes. Sprinkle in the juice of the lime.
- Serve with optional toppings (fresh cilantro, sour cream, cheese, taco chips, bread).
Print this recipe:


No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!