Vegan Quinoa Chili

This Vegan Quinoa Chili is the perfect healthy dinner for cooler weather.  It is easy to make, packed with nutrition, and so delicious!

Hi, I’m John from Kitchen Riffs. My blog is all about discovering great-tasting dishes that make our tongues happy! I want to thank Wendy for asking me to do a guest post for Cooking Quinoa. She writes a terrific blog, and I’m honored that she wants me to contribute.

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up soon, which means party time for many of us. Are you looking for a hearty dish to serve—and one that’s relatively healthy? Well, this Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili may be it. The good news is, this dish is vegan, so it will work for almost everyone. Better news? This dish has so much flavor, carnivores won’t even notice they’re eating—and enjoying!—meatless.

You say football isn’t your thing? No problem. When you make this great-tasting chili, you’ll be a winner, no matter what!

If You Like This Quinoa Chili You May Also Like:

• Vegan Black Bean Soup
• Kid Friendly Quinoa Fritters
• Cajun Quinoa Pilaf
• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Quinoa Chili

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5 from 1 vote

Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

The major flavor in this dish comes from chile powder (which is made from nothing but dried, powdered red chilies). Chile (with an “e”) powder differs from chili powder, which is a mix of chile powder, plus cumin, coriander, and other flavorings. See Notes below for a discussion of chile powder possibilities for this recipe. Prep time for this dish depends on how fast you work—it’s probably 20 to 30 minutes on average. Cooking time is a bit more than an hour (see Notes for one strategy to reduce it). This recipe yields a lot—at least 4 quarts. So it will feed a crowd. Leftovers freeze well if stored in airtight containers. And it’s quite easy to cut this recipe in half by reducing ingredient quantities appropriately.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Quinoa

Servings: 8

Calories: 299kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

• 2 large onions 2 cups—maybe a bit more—when diced
• 3 - 5 garlic cloves to taste
• 2 - 3 jalapeño peppers to taste
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt if using regular table salt, us about half this amount; see Notes
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 sweet potatoes 2 - 3 pounds
• 3 15- ounce cans red kidney beans drained and rinsed (or substitute other beans of your choice)
• 2 - 3 tablespoons mild or medium chile powder or a mix of the two (I like Hatch chile powders; see Notes for discussion and alternatives)
• 1 - 2 teaspoons dried chipotle chile powder optional; see Notes
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 28- ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• water at least one 28-ounce canfull
• jalapeño pepper slices for garnish optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Peel and dice the onions. Peel the garlic cloves and dice them finely.
• Wash the jalapeño peppers and cut them lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the ribs and seeds (be careful, the oil on these is hot; keep fingers away from your eyes). Chop the peppers into very small dice (or use a mini food processor). Place the peppers in a bowl until you’re ready to use them, then wash your hands with soap and water to remove the hot jalapeño oil from your skin. You may want to reserve a slice or two of the pepper for garnish.
• Place a Dutch oven or a large cooking pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium. When heated, add the oil.
• When the oil is hot (it will shimmer; this takes just a few seconds), add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and sauté the mixture until the onions are soft and translucent (about 8 minutes).
• Meanwhile, wash and peel the sweet potatoes; then dice them into cubes of about ½ inch.
• Drain the beans in a strainer and rinse them off.
• When the onion is soft (5 - 7 minutes), add the sweet potato cubes to the mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the chile powder(s), cumin, and coriander. Stir to coat the sweet potatoes, then sauté for about a minute. (Note: If you’re concerned that the chili may be too hot for your taste, add half the recommended amount of chile powder in this step, then see Step 10).
• Add the tomatoes, beans, and quinoa. Using one of the empty tomato cans, add a 28-ounce can of water (increase if you prefer a more liquid chili). Bring the chili to a simmer, then reduce the heat so the mixture just continues to simmer.
• After 10 minutes, taste the chili. If you added only half the recommended amount of chile powder in Step 8, add more chile powder at this point if the chili isn’t spicy enough for your taste.
• Simmer the chili for a total of 1 hour (or longer if you wish; this recipe also holds well on low heat for an hour or two). By the end of an hour, the quinoa and sweet potatoes should be tender—and the chili should be tasty. Adjust the seasoning and serve, adding a garnish if desired (see Notes).

Notes

This recipe yields a lot—at least 4 quarts. So it will feed a crowd. Leftovers freeze well if stored in airtight containers. And it’s quite easy to cut this recipe in half by reducing ingredient quantities appropriately.

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 461mg | Potassium: 1113mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 7290IU | Vitamin C: 24.5mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 6.6mg

• Tomatoes are acidic, so they tend to increase the cooking time of both sweet potatoes and quinoa. If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can partially pre-cook both these ingredients before adding them to the chili. Here’s how: After dicing the sweet potatoes, place them in a covered microwave-safe bowl, then nuke for 5 minutes (this will soften them, but won’t cook them through). Likewise, prepare the quinoa separately according to package directions, then add it to the cooking pot in Step 9. If you precook both the sweet potatoes and the quinoa, you’ll need to cook the chili for only half an hour or so, rather than a full hour.
• Chile powders: As noted in the ingredient list, I like to use Hatch chile powders, along with chipotle powder, in this recipe. But feel free to vary the type and amount of chile powder you use. For example, you don’t need to use both mild and medium Hatch powders; you can use one or the other if you don’t want to buy both. Or if you’d like to try something less spicy, you can find ancho chile powder in most supermarkets; it has great taste and is fairly mild. You may have trouble finding chipotle powder; if so, you can substitute cayenne—but use only half as much (or just leave it out). Chipotle powder has a nice smoky flavor that adds an interesting dimension to this dish, but it’s not essential.
• The amount/strength of chile powder specified in the ingredient list produces a batch of chili that I regard as reasonably mild in flavor, with just a slight ping of heat to it. But that’s my palate—your taste will differ. You may know from experience that the quantity of chile powder I call for is too much or too little for you. As noted above, if you’re concerned about the heat level, start with half the amount specified, then taste after the chili has been simmering for about 10 minutes; this is a good point to adjust the chile powder level. Don’t wait until the end to adjust, because chile powders need time to simmer in order to develop the full depth of their flavor.
• You can substitute chili powder for the chile powder(s) in this recipe. If you go that route, use 3 to 5 tablespoons of chili powder. Reduce the cumin and coriander by about half, or eliminate them altogether (since these flavors are already incorporated into chili powder). The taste of the finished dish won’t be as crisp if you use chili powder, but you’ll still be pleased with it.
• Kosher salt is more coarse than regular table salt, so it’s less salty by volume. If you’re substituting table salt for Kosher, always use less—about half as much. If the dish isn’t salty enough, you can always add more to taste.
• If you like thick chili, cook it a bit longer to evaporate more of the liquid. If you prefer a thinner, soupier mix, you can add some water at the end to achieve the consistency you prefer.
• There are many garnishes for chili that not only look great, but add a flavor boost. A slice or two of jalapeño pepper, a handful of oyster crackers, some grated cheddar cheese, a sprinkle of diced raw onion, or a dollop of sour cream all work well.

Thank You, Wendy!

I enjoyed creating this Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili for you and your readers. If anyone would like to read more of my recipes, please visit my blog, Kitchen Riffs.

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