Slow Cooker Quinoa and butternut squash Chilli

I know it’s been a while, but let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s talk about how the days are getting shorter, it’s cold outside, and some days, when you get home at 6pm in the dark, it can be hard to muster up the energy to cook something scratch made and good for you.

This slow cooker chilli is the delicious and easy to make solution to that issue, and it’s vegan. I would suggest prepping this the night before, putting it in the fridge, and in the morning, before you leave for work, turning it on and letting it work its magic. Because there is quinoa in the chilli I don’t think it needs any extra accompaniments. That said, I never turn down a bowl of rice or a slice of garlic bread.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion minced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 hot pepper finely chopped

1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained

1 sweet pepper (yellow, green or red) finely chopped

1 cup butternut squash peeled and diced

1 cup mushrooms sliced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)

1 fresh tomato chopped

1 cup beer (any kind will do)

vegetable stock or water

juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

2 tbsp tomato paste

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp cinnamon (or one cinnamon stick)

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

garnishes

chopped cilantro

sour cream or cashew cream

chopped tomatoes

pickled jalapenos

sliced green olives

lemon or lime wedges

Method

1. in the bowl of a slow cooker, add: olive oil, onion, garlic, hot pepper finely chopped, chickpeas, sweet pepper, butternut squash, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, fresh tomato, beer, quinoa, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and cinnamon stick.

2. cover by 1” with stock or water and add bay leaf.

3. set your slow cooker to LOW and cook for 8 hours. Alternatively, set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 5 hours or until vegetables and beans are tender and chili has thickened. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

4. squeeze in the juice of a lime. taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or heat as you like.

7. garnish with cilantro, green olives, cashew cream (or sour cream) tomatoes, pickled jalapeno and more lime or lemon.