Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili

This is a fantastic vegetarian meal option that I highly recommend! Cooking Light magazine has so many delicious, light options in each issue (which they post online at the My Recipes website) that I always find myself debating which ones to try, and I'm glad I went with this one this week because it did not disappoint! There really isn't much to it, but the peppers and zucchini and quinoa work really well together and give it a hearty feel. Its a perfect light yet filling meal - thanks to that quinoa superfood! - that the whole family can enjoy.

One note I have is that at the original link, some reviewers mentioned it was much too spicy, but I followed the recipe almost exactly and I didn't have that issue at all - I actually wished mine had had a little more spice to it. I think this comes down to the poblanos, because you just never know what each one's heat level will be until you use them! So, just keep that in mind when you go to make this that you may need to watch out for your spice level!



Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili 
adapted from Cooking Light


Ingredients 
2 red bell peppers
2 poblano chiles
4 tsp.olive oil
3 cups chopped zucchini
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp.chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with chipotles, undrained (I couldn't find these, so I used regular fire-roasted tomatoes and added 1 tsp. of adobo sauce)
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup low-sodium vegetable juice

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut bell peppers and chiles in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet, and flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and paprika; sauté for 30 seconds. Add roasted peppers and chiles, 1/2 cup water, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

Quinoa Fried "Rice"

I need to do a whole post on my new-found love for quinoa. This stuff is amazing! Its my new favorite "healthy eating" food, because what I miss most when trying to scale back is grains and carbs, and this one fills in for those perfectly so I never have to feel like I'm missing something! It has a nice little chewy bite to it that makes it a fantastic substitute for rice in particular, which is how I used it in this recipe.

Not only is this super easy to put together, using quinoa instead of rice makes it a really light yet hearty-feeling side dish. Feel free to sub in any veggies you prefer.


Ingredients 

2 tsp. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, mined
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
3 cups cooked quinoa
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions 

1. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in peas and carrots and quinoa, and stir-fry 3 minutes or until heated through. Add soy sauce and stir to combine. Serve warm.