feeding // fashionistas

May 11, 2010

Spring rains and warming up

patrice wrote this mid-morning:

YO! We’ve been on what feels like the longest hiatus ever. I think it’s safe to say George and I are bad at blogging. Not cooking, but about writing it down in between eating. It’s time to remedy that problem because… well… we’ve got some good stuff that happens in our kitchen and we want to share it. We want to revolutionize your cooking awesomeness!

It’s spring… that means the farmer’s markets are overloaded, the sun is coming out and you need to eat and drink some amazing things. We want to make that happen. So I’ll kick it off with something not too fancy, but good for those last few cold and rainy days of the season. (You’ll have more if you live in SF like us, or somewhere like say… Seattle).

This is a vegetarian chili recipe with some serious heft. I find many vegetarian chilis to be too runny, or else to not feel as hearty and satisfying as meat chilis. As a meat eater, veggie chili just lacks some bulk for me. So I was thrilled when I found this recipe for veggie chili that bulks up with protein-laden grain. By putting quinoa in the chili, it gave it more heft, and filled out the dish nicely. Voila! This is my version of the original. It reminds me of those stupid commercials where they stuck the fork in the chili to show how thick it was. Your fork will stand up in this chili, too.

The goods:
Olive Oil
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1 ear of sweet corn (slice off the ear)
3 large jalapenos (chopped roughly with seeds)
1 medium sized yellow onion (chopped into small pieces)
1 large dried mexican chili (finely chopped with seeds)
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup white quinoa
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes with paste
2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can white kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
3 cups veggie stock (or water)
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of sea salt (or more to taste)

In a large stock pot or heavy sauce pan (with lots of room) heat two tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers, corn, jalapenos and any other veggies you want for 8-10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and chopped dried chili and stir for two more minutes. Add the tomatoes with paste and stir, add in the red wine vinegar and yoru stock/water. Then add the quinoa and mix well. Stir in all of the beans add the spices. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until you feel like those veggies are cooked to your liking. give it a few tastes along the way to make sure it’s spicy enough for you… you can always add a pinch of salt to round out the flavor or more chili if it’s too mild.

throw some chopped chives or shredded mozz/cheddar on top if you want.

There you have it… warm food for almost warm weather. Curl up with your girl/boy/cat and feel the goodness in your stomach.

Be back more with some other goodies soon. (And I mean that this time.)