There has definitely been a lack of posts as of late - 8 months I believe. I have been cooking on a fairly regular basis since my last post, but either: been too lazy to take pictures of my creations; or haven't had the time to type up an entry. The end of spring semester and pretty much the entirety of this [fall] semester have been hectic to say the least. But now both are over and done with, and I finally have time to just breath and relax. For the next four weeks I will be home for winter break, and I plan on using my time efficiently to enjoy life - boy, has it been a while since I've had the chance to do that!
I made this creation last night for dinner. When I started out, I had no intentions of making chili, much less a vegetarian/vegan version. The original plan was to make quinoa with a few vegetables mixed in and to have that alongside something else. However, when the quinoa was a few minutes shy of being done, I had the idea to add some canned tomatoes (stewed to be exact) to the mix. I started out with perhaps a quarter of a small, 14.5 oz. can but then chose to pour the whole thing in. Then I somehow thought to add a bit of cumin, and before I knew it, I had quinoa that tasted like chili! This is basically how I start out making regular, non-vegetarian chili - of course some variety of ground meat (generally 85/15 beef) would be used in place of the quinoa. I don't have any pictures at the moment - didn't take any right after making it or just now when I had some of the leftovers - but I still have plenty in the fridge, so I will update this post with pictures when I have them.
Vegetarian/Vegan Chili
(makes 3-4 small to medium servings, or 2-3 regular sized servings)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup broth (or water)
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small (14.5 oz.) canned tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil*
- 1-2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp. red chili flakes
- 2 tsp. sugar*
- salt & pepper to taste
Begin cooking quinoa according to package instructions. Generally speaking, it should be 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid (like rice), cook on high for ~1 min. until mixture boils, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for another 10 min. or so. I also added the olive oil along with the broth/water. The olive oil (or any oil) can be omitted if you'd like; I chose to use it because I like the flavor it adds to the dish.
When the quinoa is about halfway done, add the vegetables and garlic. Feel free to use as much or as little - and also any type of vegetable(s) - as you wish; I included carrots and red bell pepper because that's what I had on hand. Incorporate the can of tomatoes and also the seasonings (cumin, red chili flakes, salt, pepper). I just eyeballed the cumin and red chili flakes by first pouring some into my palm before dumping it into the pot. After doing this and taking a taste, I felt that the chili was on the bitter side (perhaps too much cumin? - I think I managed to add more than a tablespoon), so I added a small amount of sugar to counter that.
Allow the chili to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 min. or so to allow flavors to incorporate and develop. Serve and enjoy alone or with a starch such as pasta, rice, or bread.
This chili can be made into a soup by adding more liquid to the mix.
*When making this, I used chicken broth that I had sitting in the freezer, so what I made was technically neither vegetarian, much less vegan. But that chicken broth can easily be replaced with water or vegetable broth, which would make the dish vegan.
