vegan quinoa chili

1:31 PM

Hey everyone! I'm currently sitting in class, a little bored. So I decided to blog ;) I'm such a bad student! haha. 

So i have decided that I'm going to try to post more healthy and nutritious meals. It'll be good for me (since I'll be forced to eat healthy things, ha ha) as well as good for you (that is, if you decide to give these recipes a try!) I've been posting a lot of fatty and sugary foods and it's kind of strange, since I am a nutrition major and all. I should actually try to use my knowledge of nutrition, lol.

I have decided to kick this little healthy-food goal off with some Vegan Quinoa Chili. I saw this recipe on Pinterest, specifically here. It looked very delicious and had many good reviews so I decided to give it a try! And boy was it delicious! It was full of flavors, hearty and very comforting, even though it didn't contain meat. 

So why is this chili healthy? First of all, it's packed with protein without having any animal product. Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all 8 essential amino acids (aka, the amino acids your body needs). Quinoa and soy are the only plant sources that contain all the amino acids, thus making it complete. Meat is also a complete protein. (So if you're a vegetarian, make sure you're combining different protein sources to get all the amino acids.) Beans are also high in protein. Because there is no meat in this, it's low in fat, especially saturated fat, which is awesome! The quinoa, beans and corn also provide a lot of fiber :) Because of all the spices, this chili is full of flavors, which makes it delicious. You don't even crave the meat or fat. 


I really hope everyone tries this recipe. It is delicious, low-calorie, low-fat and overall really healthy. It is also very yummy topped with avocado and cilantro. Because this is a chili, you can really add whatever you'd like or take anything out. For example, if you have red peppers instead of green peppers, by all means use them, lol. If you want some extra spice add jalapeno peppers or more cayenne. If you have a bunch of fresh tomatoes, use those instead of the canned. If you don't have kidney beans, use some other beans. You get the point. This is just a basic chili recipe, you can prepare it however you'd like ;)

Enjoy! :)

Vegan Quinoa Chili

Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3-8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 ½ Tbsp chili powder, or more, to taste
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper, or more, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ cups corn kernels
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or more, to taste
  • Juice of 1 lime, optional
  • 1 avocado, diced, optional 
Directions:
  • Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat, add garlic, onion and green peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent
  • Stir in quinoa, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, coriander and cayenne pepper
  • Add1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste
  • Reduce heat to low, simmer, covered until thickened, about 30 minutes
  • Stir in beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice until heated through, about 2 minutes
  • Serve immediately with avocado, if desired

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