Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

 I love chili recipes...and I think this is officially the best Vegetarian Chili I've come up with so far...  Of course I can never leave well enough alone so there will be more versions.  I made this one and wanted to share it with another family so I doubled the following recipe!  Yikes, it didn't quite fit into one crock pot!  So, I mixed in and then ladled half of it out into another pan, and then decided to put in another crockpot...which was the best idea because then I could deliver it in the crock pot.  So, when experimenting in the kitchen, sometimes it takes some adjustment!







Vegetarian Chili with Quinoa

1 C of quinoa, rinsed

2 C of water

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium zucchini or 2 small yellow squash

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (keep the dice small so they cook quickly)

2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 15-oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 15-oz can of tomato sauce

3 Tbsp of chili powder

1 Tbsp of ground cumin

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Optional toppings:

Sour cream or greek yogurt

avocado, cubed

shredded cheese

green onions chopped

black olives

baby spinach stirred in right before eating

In a saucepan place the quinoa and water and bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, set aside.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium heat add the onion and a pinch of salt, cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir in the garlic, jalapeno, carrots, celery peppers, squash and sweet potato, season well with salt and pepper. Cook about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

 Make sure you rinse your canned beans and drain well.

To the crock pot add the beans, cooked quinoa, tomatoes, sauce chili powder, cumin, and the sautéed vegetables. Stir to combine and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours or on low from 4-6 hours.

AND, this is what a double recipe looks like in a large oval corckpot!  Yikes, too full to cook...so ladled some out into a saucepan, then got smart and went to the basement for my spare crock pot!  So it cooks much better when not overflowing!  Yep, always trial and error in the kitchen...so get in there and have fun!

Picnic with Indian Inspiration!

 A couple of Indian dishes you can try at home! These are easy to make and are vegan for my friends that are looking for new options! I hope you'll give these recipes a try soon...


Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry

2 Tbsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
Kosher Salt to taste
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes, approx 1 inch
1 1-inch length of fresh ginger root, chopped (I don't bother to peel it, there is no need to!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups of lentils (green or red)

In a kettle bring 3 1/2 Cups of water to boil.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat, add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to soften onion, then add sweet potato, ginger, garlic, curry powder and bay leaf.  Sauté until fragrant, approx 1 minute.

Add the boiling water to the skillet and stir in the lentils, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover (use a sheet of aluminum foil if you don't have a large enough lid for your skillet) and simmer until the lentils break down and sweet potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt to taste.








Coconut Curry with Potatoes, Green Beans & Spinach 

1/3 Cup of coconut oil or vegetable oil
2 1/2 C of puréed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
t tsp turmeric
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds (these are more pungent or earthier then yellow, but substitute yellow seeds if you can't find the black.  They are available online and at Indian grocercies).
1/2 Tbsp to 1 Tbsp of red chili flakes/crushed red pepper (adjust the level of spicy heat to your family's palette)
1 C of water
1 lb of potatoes, unpeeled and cut into cubes, aprrox 1/2 inch
1/2 lb of green beans, cut into 1 inch long pieces
2 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk (shake well before opening)
3 C of baby spinach

Place oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tomato purée and "fry" for a minute. Add salt, turmeric, ground mustard seeds. Stir in and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is bubbling.

Stir in the water and add the potateos. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover  (use a sheet of aluminum foil if you don't have a large enough lid for your skillet),  and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, stir in the green beans. Cover again, and cook another 8-10minutes until the potatoes are softened.



Stir in the coconut milk, and increase the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil turn of f the heat and stir in the spinach.

Cumin Basmati Rice

2 C of basmati rice, rinsed
3 1/2 C of water
2 Tbsp of coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds, toasted (place in a hot skillet until fragrant, approx 1 minute)

Cook rice according to the time on the package directions in a sauce pan OR...my favorite...
just place all in a rice cooker and press cook.


Garlic Naan 
(made easy in your bread machine--this one isn't vegan)

Place in the bread machine on the dough cycle:

1 C of warm water (not hot or you'll ruin your yeast)

3 Tbsp of milk
1 egg
1/4 C of white sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 1/2 C bread flour
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast

For grilling:
1/3 C of melted butter

When cycle is complete remove dough from machine and pinch off small golf ball size pieces of dough. Roll into a ball, cover with a towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Place a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Roll each dough ball into a thin circle. Brush one side with butter, place on grill and cook for about 2 minutes, brush the side facing up with butter and turn naan over, cook another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from grill and place on wire rack, repeat with remaining naan. Wrap in foil to keep warm and transport if picnicking.




Notes:
I like to buy rice in bulk, 10 lb bags, it keeps for a very long time and the price is so much better.

 I buy coconut oil because it has great health benefits...

I love my Zojirushi bread machine!

Use an old, or buy an inexpensive, coffee bean grinder for grinding your spices at home! They keep longer in their whole form, and to clean the grinder, just use some inexpensive white rice to grind between various spices so your cumin doesn't taste like cardamom (then you just toss the ground rice and it takes the scent and remaining remnants of spice with it. I compost so mine goes into my compost bucket). 

I love my rice cooker, and I cook all of my rice in it!  I have had this one for over 20 years! 

The food I prepared, I packed up and took to an area park. The Actors' Theatre of Columbus was in their season for Shakespeare in the Park and was performing Romeo & Juliet at the Columbus Commons.  I highly recommend finding local outdoor theatre for summer outings!

Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic Sauce

Wow, my dad is the best gardener and I have so many tomatoes this year, so I found a new way to use a lot of them and have them for baked pasta dishes all winter long! If using as a sauce over cooked pasta, I'd add cream to thicken it slightly, and you can add any kind of ground meat or meatballs that you like.

Tomatoes, any kind..roma or large, red or yellow. You need enough to fill a half sheet tray. (I line mine with foil).

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Dried Thyme, 1/2 to 1 Tbsp

Dried Oregano, 1/4 to 1/2 Tbsp

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Garlic cloves, to taste...I use 5-8 depending on size

Fresh Basil

Place pan of tomatoes and garlic tossed in olive oil and generously seasoned with salt and pepper, and the thyme and oregano in a 425 degree oven for approx 45 minutes.  If using smaller cherry or romas, maybe a little less time, if using large tomatoes up to an hour or so.  You may want to pull out the garlic cloves after about 20 minutes and let cool.

Here are the roasted and ready tomatoes! The tomatoes will look deflated and you'll have plenty of liquid, and the smell will be amazing!  So remove from the oven and let cool.

Remove the garlic from their papery skins, and add to the food processor along with the cooled tomatoes, carefully transfer to a food processor fitted with the metal blade, then carefully pour the liquid into the food processor as well. 

Place the lid on the processor and pulse until broken down, then run on high for a few minutes to make sure all of the garlic and tomatoes are pureed smooth.  Taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

After blending well, I poured mine into a gallon freezer bag and will use the entire amount to make lasagna or another baked pasta.  

Basil compliments this roasted sauce with its bright flavor...

If using immediately, rough chop basil and add to the sauce.

If you are freezing, add fresh chopped basil to the sauce when it has been reheated just before using to add a fresh and bright flavor to the sauce.

Options...

Carmelize or roast yellow or red onions and add to this sauce when you puree it.
Roast green or yellow zuchinni to puree with the tomatoes.

Enjoy!