Brrrrrr......It's CHILI outside!

Well, winter seems to have finally hit! After some weird weather (including some snow right after Hurricane Sandy, back in November), we had some temperatures that were up and down - even going up to 60 degrees at one point in December.

Those temperatures are a distant memory this week, though. It's been a blustery 25 degrees for days. We finally hit 30 degrees today....but that also seemed to bring some snow, freezing rain, sleet, and all the stuff that makes me not miss driving. (What does make me miss driving, though, is having to walk around in this all over town! I guess you can't have it both ways.)

In this kind of weather, all I want is hot soup. For, like, every meal. And all day long, I was dreaming about coming home, changing into sweats, and making myself a nice big pot of warm, hearty soup to indulge in all week. I wanted something healthy (it is still January, after all, and in theory, I have some New Year's resolutions I'd like to keep, haha), but also something satisfying. And I wanted something vegetarian because I have an aversion to being fleishig during the week. So, I decided to roam the grocery store and see what I could come up with. A thick chili seemed like the perfect thing.

I had some quinoa lying around the apartment and added it to thicken up the final product and also to add a little extra texture and protein. I also used baked beans....yup. The campfire staple, in the sweet-and-sour sauce. We love baked beans in my family, and I use them anywhere I need to use regular beans, since the sauce adds a lot of great flavor. (They're one of my secret ingredients in cholent!) I also love them because I tend to like savory dishes that are a bit sweet. But feel free to use regular black or kidney beans, or omit them entirely.

I served this chili with a side of cornbread, and it hit the spot - it was comforting, but not too heavy, and chock-full of flavor. I'm so happy I have the leftovers to eat for the next few days!!

*Note: I cheated and bought pre-chopped vegetables. Cheat along with me, will you? I bought a 2-cup container of onions, carrots, and celery, and the same of assorted peppers. For the soy crumbles, I used Mexican flavor....because it was the only flavor my grocery store had. But I guess that was kind of perfect for chili! As far as the cornbread goes, I combined several recipes and used skim milk to lighten it up. To be honest, I wasn't super worried about it being too dry because I literally ladled the chili over it to serve. It's such a yummy combination.

Chili Con Quinoa
serves 6-8

2 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
12 oz. package Smart Crumbles, Mexican flavor (or any flavor of fake meat)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup quinoa
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
8 oz. (about half a can) corn, drained
1 16-oz. can vegetarian baked beans
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add peppers and sweat for an additional 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add soy crumbles and spices and cook for 3 minutes. Add quinoa and stir to coat with oil.
3. Add tomatoes and broth and increase heat to high; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until quinoa has fluffed and much of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Add corn and beans. Season to taste.
6. Serve with cornbread (recipe below).

Cornbread
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and oil.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.