Quinoa (keen-wah) Chili

Husband-Tested Recipe from Alice’s Kitchen (Husband-Tested)
6-8 Servings

Quinoa is packed with nutrition and it’s high in protein, so this dish will be filling. Here’s a great meatless chili to serve on a cold day. This takes no time to make and you won’t miss the meat. For a little extra heat, try topping your chili with LocalFolks Foods Smoked Red Sauce, available at Lost River Market & Deli. Be sure to check out other Husband-Tested quinoa recipes! 

1 - 2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

2-3 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained

1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

1 (25 oz.) can of kidney beans or black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.5 oz.) can of hot chili beans

2 cups water (or add water to make the chili the consistency that you like)

LocalFolks Foods Smoked Red Sauce or Tabasco sauce, to taste

Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic over medium heat until the onion starts to become translucent.  Stir in the spices.  Stir in quinoa.  Add remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. 

If you wish, you can top the chili with cheese, avocado, green onions, tortilla chips and/or other traditional chili toppings. 

I went to http://www.acaloriecounter.com and typed in the recipe.  Here's what they calculated for Quinoa Chili which makes about 6-8 servings.  (I entered the recipe as if it served 6.)

Per Serving

289 Calories

14 gm Protein

5 gm Fat

49 gm Carbohydrates

0 gm Cholesterol

5 gm Sugars

13 gm Fiber

510 mg Sodium (Rinsing the beans and then using low-sodium canned tomatoes or even fresh tomatoes would greatly reduce the sodium.)

In any event, it's a BIG improvement over most chilies you'd get at a restaurant, especially a fast food one. It's also much better for you since it's without meat.

If you serve it with cheese, chips or crackers it would up the fat and sodium content. If you must have chips or crackers, try whole wheat crackers or baked low-sodium chips made with beans or lentils.  An avocado would add fat, but it would be the good kind and it would add even more fiber!

Our Version of Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Add a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a nice finish.

Recipe from http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

12 Servings

If you are craving a meaty, beany, pasta soup, this is the ticket. Your family will love it.  Save time and brown the meat on one day and make the soup on another day.  Using a slow cooker makes this soup even more convenient.  This recipe does make a lot of soup.  My slow cooker was full to the brim.  Make sure you use a large crock pot or cut the recipe in half! 

2 lbs. ground beef (I used 1/2 pound to 1 pound of local ground sweet sausage. This soup is quite meaty, so if you are cutting back on meat or if you are on a tight budget, cutting the amount of meat to 1/2 pound will not adversely affect this soup.)

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup celery, chopped

2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelloni beans.)

4 cups beef stock

3 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

5 teaspoons parsley (optional)

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce (I used Local Folks hot sauce.)

1 (20 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (I used Field Day Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce.)

8 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni.)

Brown ground beef or pork in large skillet. Drain fat.  Place the meat on paper towels to absorb as much fat as possible.  Add beef or pork and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.*** (See note.)

***Note:  When making soups with pasta, it’s best to cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup. Pasta in soups, if left in the soup over time, will become mushy. So, if you plan to eat ALL of the soup at once (say you have a big family or you are having a dinner party) go ahead and add the cooked pasta to the entire pot of soup just before serving.  If you plan to serve the soup over several days, make the pasta as directed and then toss it with a bit of olive oil.  Add a bit of pasta to each soup bowl before serving the soup. Save the extra pasta in a covered dish in the fridge and add it to the soup as you need it.  If you plan to freeze the soup for later, freeze it without the pasta.  Make a fresh batch of pasta for the thawed soup.

Eric's Basil Pesto

Step 1: Fill processor bowl to top of the knob with basil leaves.

Step 2:  Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT olive oil.

Step3: Run machine until ingredients are finely chopped.

Step 4:  With machine running, add olive oil until desired consistency.

Recipe from Chef Eric Sinnott who introduced me to pesto.

Husband-Tested (many times) in Alice's Kitchen

Pesto tastes wonderful on Grilled Pizza, pasta, tomatoes, potatoes, and in soups.  I usually make several batches at once and then freeze them in small containers. You can usually find fresh basil during the hot summer months at Lost River Market & Deli and Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Markets.  

Fresh Basil Leaves (fill to the top of the plastic knob of the food processor) about 4 cups, tightly packed

1-2 cloves of fresh garlic

1/3 - 1/2 cup nuts (pignoli/pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, or almonds)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pinch of Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Several drops of Tabasco sauce (I use Local Folks Hot Sauce.)

Olive oil

Add ingredients to the food processor except the olive oil. Allow the food processor to run until the ingredients are well mixed and chopped fine. Then while the machine is still running, drizzle olive oil through the feeder tube until the desired consistency. 

*The garlic, salt, vinegar, mustard and Tabasco can be adjusted to taste.

Mushroom Wrap

This Meatless Monday dinner includes this mushroom wrap, sliced orange & sweet potato chips.

Prep the ingredients in advance for quick meatless meals.

Recipe from Alice's Kitchen

Makes 4-6 wraps


I prep the ingredients for this meatless wrap in advance so that we have quick and easy meals ready to go for the week.  All the ingredients can be found at Lost River Market & Deli.  If portobello mushrooms are not available, substitute other mushrooms.   


For Meatless Monday, try this!  In a skillet, sauté one sliced sweet onion in a bit of olive oil.  Set aside.  In the same skillet, adding just a bit more olive oil, sauté sliced portobello mushrooms.  Add a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  When mushrooms are brown and tender, set aside.  In the same skillet, adding just a bit more olive oil, sauté a chopped zucchini or summer squash until crisp tender. Set aside.  Make a batch of brown rice.  Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas.  When suppertime comes, use these healthy ingredients to make wraps. Use whole-wheat lavash.  Spread with Greek yogurt or hummus.  Layer with a few mushroom slices, onion slices, zucchini slices.  Then add some brown rice and chickpeas.  Drizzle with a bit of Local Folks hot sauce. Sprinkle with a bit of goat cheese or blue cheese.  Zap in the microwave about 30 seconds.  Just bite into that, won't ya!  Nice!!

Egg Salad

Husband-Tested Recipe from the Kitchen of Alice Wootton

Serves 2

We are so fortunate to have access to local eggs.  Here’s one way I make use of them for Meatless Monday. I like this served over lettuce.  My husband likes it in a wrap using whole-wheat lavash.  We really enjoy all the crunchy additions to this salad.  You can get local eggs at Lost River Market & Deli and at the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Markets.  

5 hard-boiled eggs

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 scallions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

6 drops of hot sauce (I use Local Folks.)

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons capers, chopped

1 dollop mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s. Just enough to lightly coat the salad, but not to make it gloppy.)

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (Optional, but this really adds a nice touch.)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds (or other favorite nut for extra crunch)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and serve over lettuce, on toast, or in a whole-wheat lavash.  Add a fresh sliced summer tomato.

Other additions:  chopped cucumber and/or zucchini or sugar snap peas; chopped dill pickle; replace basil with fresh dill