I've been preserving the harvest this year and tonight it was time to reap some of those rewards. The cold weather gave me a hankerin' for Red Bean and Quinoa Chili. So, I used some local frozen corn and some local canned tomatoes which I processed in September, combined them with local fresh bell pepper, garlic, and onion, and of course kidney beans (not local but cooked from scratch!) and quinoa (not local, but I hear there IS local quinoa which I am determined to find!) - and added a tomato juice ice cube (local!) - and I made a very nice chili indeed.
Sergio's new winter coat came in the mail today - while I was dishing out our dinner, he tried on his coat and confirmed that it will be just the thing he needs to keep him warm this season. With a new boldness towards the cold weather that he typically abhors, he asserted, "Winter's got nothing on me."
And with two heaping bowls of my mostly local chili, I heartily agreed.
RED BEAN AND QUINOA CHILI
from "Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair
2 t. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 t. sea salt
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 t. cumin
1 t. dried oregano
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. cayenne
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 or 2 cups tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 cup water or broth
1 can of kidney beans (or one cup of dry beans, soaked 6-8 hours, cooked 50-60 minutes with cumin and a bay leaf)
Heat oil in skillet on medium. Add onion, salt, garlic, pepper, and spices; sauté for 5 to 10 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomatoes, and water (or broth) to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer 20 minutes. Add cooked beans to other ingredients; simmer around 10 minutes.
Local Burger's veggie patties are made with quinoa. Bet it's, um, local.
ReplyDeleteI cooked Adzuki beans for the first time ever. Made simple soup with carrots, onions, garlic and spices. I topped mine with Greek yogurt. Scott added tons of hot sauce to his, which is to say he didn't like it so much.
I haven't had Adzuki beans - sounds delicious. I'm enamored with anasazi beans - have you tried those. We can't get beans locally can we?
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