Cold weather just screams chili. Am I right? There is something so comforting about a warm bowl of chili when it is really cold outside! I have made this recipe a few times and it is always a success, so I thought I would share it with you guys now! My super yummy, super healthy, spicy vegetarian/vegan chili. Mmmm. So, so, so good!
Daniel and I have been remodeling our kitchen and it has been so freaking hard to cook lately. Thus, why you haven't seen many recipes. Man oh man, though, I replaced an old 80's oven with this beautiful and new double oven, and I do not ever want to leave the kitchen. It heats up in like 5 minutes! Maybe, that is not so amazing to most people, but if you have ever had an oven that takes over 20 minutes just to get to the right/decent temperature, you will understand my excitement. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. It is so much easier to recipe test now -- yay!!
The kitchen project is almost done, but I know we will still be working hard over the next couple of weeks, so I made a big batch of this yummy chili, so that we have a quick go-to for the week. Actually, I am about to have some more right now for lunch! 🙂
Please try it out and let me know what you think! I love love love your feedback, as always!!
- 2 tablespoons safflower oil (sub any high smoke point oil*)
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 cups zucchini, chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (remove seeds for milder result)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 25oz can black beans, low sodium (sub any bean)
- 3 tsp salt, or to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chop Vegetables: First, mince the garlic and set aside to activate**. Now finely chop the celery, bell pepper, carrots, zuchinni, and jalapeño.
- Sauté Ingredients:Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, jalapeño, and garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until celery is translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Simmer: Add the quinoa (uncooked), crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beans, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is cooked (about 15-20 minutes). Season with salt to taste. Mix in cilantro, if desired, and serve.
- *A high smoke point oil should be used when cooking at higher temperatures. When an oil smokes it indicates that unwanted chemicals have been released, which is something you do not want to eat. So, when sauteing, it is important to only cook as long as needed, and not overcook to maintain flavor and health benefits! Every oil is good for different things. Some high smoke point oils include; safflower, almond, avocado, grapeseed, sesame, and sunflower.
- **By allowing chopped/crushed garlic to sit, you can increase the health benefits you receive. Cooking too quickly has been shown to reduce the cancer-fighting properties. Let garlic rest for 10 minutes before cooking.
