Veggie Cooking: Quinoa Chili

When it comes to the rigorous rights of passage that is required to count oneself among the Grain Guild, a.k.a the people who know which grains make good eating, I have fallen a bit on the shy side.  The first time I saw the word Quinoa I tried to pronounce it qwa-know-ah.  A very nice co-worker, who knew way more about mother grains than I, was kind enough to teach me the right way so I didn't sound silly when I tried to purchase said item from my Whole Foods.  That was several years ago, I have since learned about brown rice, wheat kernels, and barley, I have even cooked with them.  Epic, I know.  Enter the Dragon, ok not the actual Dragon, but what is now my grain foe: the bulgur wheat.

Ho Ho, you sassy minx, I thought I had you all figured out.  I wrote it down before I even went to the Whole Foods, 3/4 cups bulgur wheat, that's what I needed for my recipe.  Two words: bulgur wheat, how hard could this be? Well my friends it was quite a fiasco.  Did you know that the word "cracked" in front of the "bulgur wheat" term could send a well educated woman into fits of self doubt?  I was a quivering mess.  Ok, get it together, the nice Whole Foods girl will know what to do, NOPE. She didn't know if it was the right stuff either.  A friend who was with me even googled the grain, but we didn't see the word "cracked" in the definition so we though it was different.  Out goes bulgur wheat and in comes Quinoa.

Well, grain confusion is the birthplace of culinary creativity.  Thus we are given Quinoa Chili!

Quinoa Chili

3/4 cup dry Quinoa, cooked to package directions

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red pepper

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp minced garlic

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15oz can pure pumpkin

1 diced zucchini

1 can corn

1 can rinsed black beans

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

your favorite chili fixin's

In a large non-stick skillet, bring on the big one here this makes a lot of chili, heat the oil and saute the onion and pepper for five minutes.  Add in the chili powder, garlic, and cumin and saute until fragrant.  Add in 2&1/2 cups water, tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, and corn and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender.  Stir in beans and Quinoa and heat through.  Stir in cilantro right before serving.  Top with your favorite chili fixin's.  This chili freezes well.

This chili is very fresh and clean tasting.  You can't taste the pumpkin and the fresh cilanto is wonderful. You aren't weighed down by it and a touch of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt on top is excellent.  Oh yeah!

What kind of veggie recipes are you eating right now? Any asparagus avenues we need to be exploring? Any green gardens we need to visit? Let us know, we would love to try your meat-free recipes!

Keeping it grainy,

Kelly, the cilantro ninja

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