2/3 of a yellow onion
refried black beans
whole plum tomatoes with juices
remainder of a jar of salsa

I decided that those four ingredients combined with a few other staples I had in the kitchen were the perfect ingredients to make a nice and hearty black bean chili.

 Towards the end I remembered that I had a bag of frozen corn the freezer and decided to add a few handfuls to add a little sweetness to the spicy chili (I was a little heavy handed on the chipotle chili powder). The end result was a nice big bowl of spicy rich black bean chili, so good!

To go with this tasty black bean chili I decided to try out the Gluten Free Corn Bread Mix that  Lindsey of XO Baking Co. sent me to try out.  The mix calls for milk, eggs and butter but I veganized it by using unsweetened almond milk, flax “eggs” and soy free Earth Balance.

I was a little nervous about how it was going to turn out with the flax “eggs” but the end result was something delicious.  The cornbread was slightly sweet, just how I like my corn bread and it was the perfect pairing to the spicy chili.  I ended up having two slices of cornbread dunked in my chili- the perfect pairing!

Spicy Roasted Chilis Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, small dice
• 1 green bell pepper, small dice
• 4 garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• a mixture of 6-8 chilis (poblano, serrano, jalapeno, ect)
• 1-15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15oz can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-150z can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
• 1/2 cup of water
• 8-oz tomato paste

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(source)

While quinoa is widely considered a grain, it’s actually the seed of a plant called Chenopodium or Goosefoot, related to chard and spinach. Quinoa is a gluten-free grain and has a similar effect as other whole grains in helping to stabilize blood sugar.

It has a waxy protective coating called saponin which can leave a bitter taste. For best results, rinse quinoa before you cook it or even soak it for a few hours or overnight. When cooked, it has a fluffy, slightly crunchy texture. Try it in soups, salads, as a breakfast porridge or as its own side dish.

For quinoa, and whole grains in general, the majority of digestion occurs in the mouth through chewing and exposure to saliva. For optimal nutrition and assimilation, it is vital to chew your grains well and with awareness. A great meditation is to find a calm place, without distractions, to sit down for your meal. Make it a habit to chew each bite 20 times or more. See how this simple practice can help your digestion and overall focus for the rest of your day.

Recipe of the Month: Quinoa Pilaf

• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 1/4 cups water or stock
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in fine mesh strainer until water runs clear.
2. Boil the water and add quinoa and salt, cover and reduce heat.
3. After 15 minutes add cranberries and walnuts to top; do not stir.
4. Cook 5 minutes more, until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from heat, add parsley and fluff with fork, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes and serve.

© 2010 Integrative Nutrition 5/10

Here are a few of my quinoa recipes for you to try as well:

• Quinoa and Black Bean Enchiladas
• Quinoa Chili
• Quinoa Stuffed Squash
• Raw Pizza Crackers (w/sprouted quinoa)

That being said I learned my lesson and this chili turned out really delicious.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pumpkin Chili

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or you can use 2 chipotles in adobo diced**
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 (15oz) can of low sodium vegetable broth, reserve 2 tablespoons
• 1  (15oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
• 1 (15oz) can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 (150z) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar (optional)*
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder (make sure it’s unsweetened)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in the onions, carrots and celery; saute for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, spices and 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into the onion mixture, cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the pumpkin, vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lite soy, umeboshi plum vinegar, cocoa powder and onion mixture to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine and then cover and turn the slow cooker onto low for 6 to 8 hours.
4. After 5-6 hours stir in the corn and taste for salt and pepper.

*You could use red wine vinegar.

**Chipotle is essential to make this chili smoky

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with Paprika Rice

Ingredients:

• For the Stew:
  • 2 cups Butternut Squash
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 dried Chipotle Peppers, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, until soft
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 (15oz) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • salt and pepper, to taste
• For the Rice:
  • 1 Tbsp vegan margarine
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 medium onion, small dice
  • 1 tsp hot paprika
  • 1 cup of rice
  • 2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Preaheat oven to 400F.  Toss the squash with the olive oil; place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until fork soft. Place the roasted squash in a blender with the chipotles and almond milk and blend until smooth; set aside.
2. In a medium pot over medium high heat melt the margarine; toss in the onions and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Stir in the hot paprika and the rice; stir to coat.  Stir in the water and bring to boil; cover and turn to low.  Cooking time will be based on the type of rice you use (white around 25-30 or brown 40-45).
3. In a large skillet over medium high heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil; add the onion and carrot and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the vegetable broth, cumin and chili powder.  Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Stir in the chickpea, lime juice and squash puree; cook for 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve the stew with a scoop of rice.

I’m excited to announce that my first e-book is now available for purchase! To purchase your copy of the e-book:

• Click the Buy Now link below or in the sidebar of my blog.
• You will be brought to a Pay Pal page to make your purchase
• Click the link to download the cookbook, after 10 seconds (or if you click the link) the download will begin automatically!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1T olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1t garlic powder
• 2t ground cumin
• 1t paprkia
• 2t chili powder
• 1t Italian seasoning
• 1T soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 1T cacao powder
• 2T chipotle chiles in adobo, diced
• 1 (28oz) can peeled whole tomatoes with their juices
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients minus the beans- they were draining in the sink

In a large heavy bottom pot heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add in the onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the spice and cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the coffee, soy sauce, cacao powder and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the chipotles and tomatoes with their juice; bring up to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.  Stir in the corn and cover and cook 15 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

If you guessed soups, stews and chili’s then you are correct! This first ever Cook.Vegan.Lover. e-book will be filled with a wonderful variety of soups, stews and chili’s to warm you up this fall and winter. I hope to have it completed by mid-November.

On Monday I got home from work to find my Easy Lunch Boxes sample had arrived and I couldn’t wait to try them out.  My husband and I bring lunch everyday to work because it’s healthier, cheaper and easier than going out for lunch, besides the fact that we don’t really have time to go out for lunch during the work week.  I have to say one of the hardest things at our house however is finding containers to pack our food into. The Hubz We are notorious for leaving our tupperware at work or in the car so it is nice to finally have some new ones.

I went right to work putting together my lunches for the week and because they stack so great I could just stick them in the fridge and grab them when I head out the door.  This makes like so much easier because I don’t have to get up in the morning and make lunch or do it the night before they are all ready to go.  I also received a cute purple lunch box that fits the containers perfectly- I think this is my first real lunch box since elementary school. If you check back later today I think there might be a giveaway post for your own chance to win these eco friendly lunch boxes.

For my lunches this week we have some fruit, salad and the most delicious GF vegan raw sprouted crackers from Livin’ Spoonfuls I have ever tasted.  I tried the coconut curry yesterday and they were amazing I am sure I will post more about these later.

Dinner last night was delicious and filled with healthier versions of two of my favorite things- chili and quesadillas. I know I have blogged about these before but Maria and Ricardo’s Low Carb Tortillas are my favorite tortillas for a few reasons  they are low in calories, fat and carbs and are made with ingredients that are all natural.

In my quesadillas I put some scallions and a serving of cheddar Daiya cheese- I couldn’t hold myself back from buying it the other day when I saw that it was on sale for $2 off.  We tried the mozza a few weeks ago and I decided that a sale was a good excuse reason to try the cheddar;  I think I am a bigger fan of the cheddar so far.

To go with our quesadillas I made up some chili with kidney and black beans that I had soaked the night before and I added a bunch of great veggies to it including mustard greens.

Beans and Greens Chili

Ingredients:

• 1/2T olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1.5 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1.5 cups cooked black beans
• 1T tomato paste
• 2 t cumin
• 1 t paprika
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1T nutritional yeast
• 2t chili powder
• dash of cayenne
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t black pepper
• 3 cups mustard greens, chopped
• 1/4 cup scallions, sliced
• 1T chipotle hot sauce or 1t chipotle chili powder (optional)

Directions:

In a medium pot heat the oil over medium-high and add in the onion and carrots; saute for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.  Add in the vegetable broth, tomato paste and beans and bring to a boil; turn down to medium low and let simmer for 15 minutes.  While the beans simmer mix the cumin, paprika, oregano, nutritional yeast, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder salt and pepper with 2T of water to make a paste. Stir the spice paste into the beans and then top with the mustard greens and cover; let the greens wilt. Stir in the greens and scallions.  At this point you can eat as is or if you want you can add in the chipotle hot sauce or chipotle chili powder- I think that with the beans and greens this smoky flavor and heat is a great addition to the chili but it is yummy without it as well.

• Get the Recipe Here. 

Great Pairings:

Mutligran and The Works! go great with savory salsas 

Potato & Chive is yummy with a nice french onion or ranch dip 

Cinnamon would go great with a fruit salsa 

Lastly the Sweet Potato is my favorite and goes amazing with chili, it is a great balance of sweet with a spicy chili.  My favorite chili recipe to go with these chips is:

Ingredients:

• 1T canola oil
• 1 Large yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T of ground cumin
• 1 T paprika
• 1 T Chipotle Chili Powder 
• 1T Goya Adobo
• 1T nutritional yeast
• 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1T Pure VT Maple Syrup (inspired by Happy Herbivore)
• 1T Chalulua Hot Sauce
• 1/2 cup frozen organic sweet corn
• salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy bottom pot heat the canola oil on high and add the onions and garlic, sautee for a minute, then turn down to med high and sautee until onions are translucent.  Add the spices (cumin-nutritional yeast) and stir together and cook for 1 min.  Add the tomatoes, beans and lentils and maple syrup.  Stir well and cook on medium for 10 minutes.  Add the hot sauce and corn and cook until heated through.  

This makes a very thick chili so if you like yours thinner then add a little vegetable broth.

Also checkout this great Zen Soy giveaway contest here http://luckytastebuds.wordpress.com/2009/10/04/soy-i-giveaway-magical-froyo-biscotti/