I love a bowl of chili but my eating goals include limiting my meat intake to <6 ounces per day. I eat a small amount of grilled fish and meats and fill in the rest of my diet with plant based foods, like salads, smoothies and pastas with vegetables. These make tasty meals but I also yearn for some variety. Sometimes, you really want a meaty stew or bowl of chili as a comfort food, especially with winter coming. There has to be some way to get the best of both worlds, doesn’t there? Well, I think I found it!
Thankfully, I discovered quinoa within the last year. It works well as a side dish or to add texture and a nutty flavor to a salad. The taste is great and it is a healthy grain to consume based on its protein, fiber and gluten-free qualities. It sparked an idea to use it as a main component in a dish and add some meat, like a chili. I went out to the internet to locate recipes, however all of the recipes were either meat heavy or no meat at all. I was also looking for something lower on the tomato scale. Maybe more broth than tomato sauce. I found nothing.
Instead of quitting, I decided to experiment based on how I was envisioning it and blaze a new path, if that phrase may be used with respect to chili making. I had my idea, now I needed ingredients. Here is what I gathered up:
- Several stalks of Celery
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Tomato (or tomato sauce)
- 1 Bell Pepper
- Several Carrots
- 1/4 Onion
- 4 oz. Grass-fed Hamburger patty (4 oz.)
- 4 oz. Farm-raised sausage patty (4 oz.)
- Beans – I do not eat them but you could add them if you like
- Spices to Taste – rosemary, tumeric, paprika, basil, oregano, cilantro
- 1 Cup Red Quinoa (rinsed)
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 1/2 Butternut Squash (I had a roasted one leftover and made the perfect addition to the chili)
Yield = 6 – 8 servings (based on 1 Cup serving size)
Directions
Step 1: Chop onions, carrots, peppers, celery finely. In a 6 quart dutch oven, sauté in oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic.
Step 2: Add sausage and beef and cook thoroughly. When meat is cooked through, add tomato and beans. When all ingredients are heated through, remove from dutch oven and set aside.
Step 3: In same dutch oven, add dry quinoa and roast over medium heat for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. It’s helpful here if the broth is hot.
Step 4: At boil, reduce heat to low and add back the chili ingredients you set aside. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes (or follow your instructions for quinoa).
Step 5: Remove from heat. Add roasted butternut squash.
Serve with your favorite chili accompaniments – guacamole, sour cream, cheese, etc.
I love this recipe. It yields a chili with a great meaty taste containing just a small amount of meat. It is hearty and you can feel good about the nutritional value, protein, and fiber from the vegetables and quinoa. I highly encourage you to give it a try including the addition of the butternut squash, which I roasted with a Breville counter-top convection oven, which I highly recommend. The butternut squash roasts in about 45 minutes. Simply add ghee or butter plus salt/pepper. That’s all you need!
