Chili Beans with Quinoa and Spices

This chili recipe from Executive Chef Reyna and her team is incredibly versatile and full of flavor. Use this chili as a dip with baked corn chips, add more vegetable broth for a hearty-nourishing soup, or roll it up in a heated tortilla with cheese to make a burrito topped with a spicy splash of salsa! The combination of beans, quinoa, and spices may be the gastronomic blanket you need to help keep you warm during the winter season.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked pinto or black beans

½ cup cooked quinoa (any color)

3 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil

½ cup carrot, peeled and diced

½ cup sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

2 ribs celery, finely diced

½ medium red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chipotle adobo

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 bay leaf

1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cups baked tortilla chips

1 avocado, sliced

Method:

1. In a sauté pan or skillet, place the ghee or oil and sauté the onion over medium-high heat until fragrant.
2. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, and chipotle adobo. Cook for a couple of minutes, add the diced celery, carrot, sweet potato, and bell pepper, and cook until golden brown.
3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cooked beans, the cooked quinoa, the bay leaf, vegetable broth or water. Let cook for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
4. Once the mixture starts bubbling, gently mash the beans with the help of a potato masher. You want to leave some texture, so be careful not to mash over mash.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more chipotle adobo for a spicier flavor twist.

6. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, avocado slices, and a handful of baked corn chips.

Serve hot with a touch of freshly squeezed lime juice.

¡Buen Provecho!

See more recipes from the Ranch and our Guest Chefs or learn about our farm, Tres Estrellas.

Download the Kuchumaa Beans or download the Ranch Chili Beans