Vegetarian Quinoa Black Bean Chili

As you know, we’ve been spending A LOT of time between the hospital and a hotel.

That means a lot of cafeteria food and restaurant take-out (and yes, I AM getting fat). When I came home for a day to catch up on laundry and other assorted household tasks, I was craving something healthy and home-cooked. Since my husband wasn’t with me, it was obviously going to be a vegetarian meal–I have to seize those opportunities! I knew I had a winner when I saw this post on Jamie’s blog, Thrifty Veggie Mama. I had already cooked quinoa waiting in the freezer and all of the other ingredients on hand. The last thing I wanted to do was make a trip to the grocery store.

Vegetarian Quinoa Black Bean Chili
Adapted from Thrifty Veggie Mama who adapted it from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 Tablespoon olive oil (or less)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalepeno, diced (optional)
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups (or two cans) of cooked beans (I used a mix of black and pinto)
one 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups water

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onion, celery and carrot. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the spices and cook for another minute or so.
3. Add all other ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat until heated through and carrots and vegetables are soft. (At least 30 minutes.) Add more water as necessary for desired consistency–I ate mine super thick ’cause that’s the way I like it.
4. Enjoy! I topped mine with some plain Greek yogurt. Cilantro would have been great (would have looked pretty too), but like I said, I didn’t want to go to the store.

**NOTE: If you don’t have already cooked quinoa, you can cook it in the chili before you add the tomatoes and beans. See Jamie’s site for instructions.**

Verdict: Delicious. Very good leftover too–I had a lot of leftovers. I froze a bowl of it to enjoy at a later date.
Husband’s take: He didn’t have any, but my daughter ate it (I did give it a quick rinse because she’s not wild about tomato sauces).
Changes I would make: None. Except the addition of cilantro for a fresh garnish.
Difficulty: Very easy.

Tagged as: black bean, chili, gluten-free, quinoa, vegetarian