sweet potato black bean quinoa chili
I am always looking for more vegetarian recipes for quinoa and sweet potatoes, and I had pinned this last week and then found I had all the ingredients already in the house (this never happens to me). It is a great, hearty fall recipe from HERE. Posting here with my own notes. I’m not much of a cook, but once I got everything out and chopped and ready to go, it was easy and went fairly fast.
- one 29 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained – I had two 15.5 oz cans
- one 6 oz can tomato paste
- 32 oz vegetable stock – I have some vegetable bouillon cubes, so I just added 3 in with 32oz water when the recipe called for stock (they’re too salty for me to have one cube for one cup water)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- salt and pepper to taste
- plain nonfat Greek yogurt (optional)
Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper . Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the quinoa. Continue cooking for about 15 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. I increased the temperature slightly right when I added the quinoa, then lowered it again, and it probably cooked for about 20 minutes before it was done.
I like my chili thick – so thick you can stand a spoon in it, eat it with a fork or as a sandwich – so I was actually considering using less water next time, although it wasn’t by any means ‘thin’. Also, since there is so much left over (original site says it makes about 6 bowls), I know it will continue to thicken over the next few days.
I think it could be spiced up with some tabasco or diced jalapenos, if you like it hot. It was just right for me.
This recipe is vegan, but I ate it with plain Greek yogurt, thus ruining that aspect.
star-rain 