BLACK BEAN & QUINOA CHILLI

A vegetarian chilli that everyone - including meat eaters - will enjoy. This chilli freezes well, can be easily reheated, is packed with nutrients, is inexpensive to make and tastes insanely good. Double or triple up on the ingredients and make enough for leftovers or the freezer. This is healthy eating at its best and it was just the lunch I needed today... let me fill you in on my morning.

An early work start meant I was in need of a break by mid morning. I grabbed the two dogs and a take-out coffee and off to the park we went. We started our walk in a light drizzle, which makes for a pretty nice walk - the park is quiet and there's something about the smell of rain in the midst of all that greenery that I love. So happy out we were until half way round when the light drizzle turned into a torrential, pounding off the pavement downpour. By the time we got back to the car, the dogs were filty and soaked to the skin and I wasn't far behind.

The story doesn't finish there.. I got home to no hot water, so cold showers all round. The dogs were shivering and I was freaking out because these two dogs are seriously used to the good life. Getting soaked and then having a cold shower was quite the shock to the system for them. To stop them going into actual shock, I blow dried them and lit the fire. By the time I was done, my thirty minute break had turned into a two hour ordeal and I was starving. My planned salad was just not going to cut it, so instead I waited out the thirty minutes or so it takes this chilli to cook. By the time it was ready, order was restored and all was well in the world again. I sat on the sofa, dry dog on each side, fire lighting and enjoyed every last bite of it. Who says comfort food is the reserve of winter?!

Keep scrolling for the recipe for this delicious Black Bean and Quinoa Chilli... xx

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 medium size carrot, finely diced

1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small bunch coriander, stalks chopped and leaves set aside

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chilli powder

1 cup passata

500ml vegetable stock

1/3 cup quinoa

1 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed

1 lime

1 ripe avocado

2 tbsp Greek yogurt

Salt & Pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and green peppers and cook for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and chopped coriander stems. Cook for a further 2 minutes before adding the spices. Stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the passata and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve and add it to the saucepan. Reduce the heat and allow the chilli to simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is fluffy. Add the drained black beans to the saucepan, stir well and allow to cook for a further five minutes.

To serve, spoon into bowls and add a squeeze of lime juice, a dollop of mashed avocado and a spoon of Greek yogurt. Sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander leaves on top and enjoy x

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