Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

The other when I was out at Whole Foods, they had some food sampling for vegetarian chili.  I was amazed what people do with Quinoa.  A black bean chili with quinoa. Of course the sampling was only a bite so I went and got the recipe, came home and made it for my dinner. Oh how glad I was...the chili was amazing.  I was pretty amazed that all this time having chili with meat and having now without any meat, did not matter any more. In fact, the quinoa and celery gave a little bite to the chili.  For all meat lovers out there....life does not end if there is no meat.

Ingredients


1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (regular or red)
1 cup water (or broth)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder (or Chipotle)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 celery rib, sliced
2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method

• Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes; set aside. 
•  Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute to release the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. 
• After 20 minutes, stir in the reserved quinoa. Cook to reheat the corn for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro to serve.