Recipe of the Week: Crockpot Chili and Quinoa Salad

I got a new crock pot! Hooray! Because sometimes I don't want to just cook, I want to slow cook. Well I already broke the newbie in. Last week I made lunch for a friend and found a good recipe for crock pot chili from a crock pot recipes website.

I was going to use ground turkey instead of beef but I grossly miscalculated how late my grocery store was open and had to end up using turkey kielbasa. I liked it with the kielbasa but I think it would be better with ground turkey.

1/2 lb dry pinto or kidney beans
2 can tomatoes (14.5oz ea)
2 lb chuck; browned,
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
4 1/2 cup water or 2 16-oz cans
2 medium onions; coarsely chopped,
1 green pepper; chopped
2 garlic cloves; crushed
1 salt to taste

The wonderful thing about crock pots - you just put everything in it and stir, then turn cook it over a long period and voila! This chili requires 10-12 hours on low, which is what I did overnight so it would be ready for lunch. Or you can cook it for 5-6 hours on high.

I also made a quinoa salad to go with the chili (I got to have quinoa).
1 cup unprepared quinoa
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 bag of lettuce or spinach
A few green onions, chopped
1 Avocado, sliced
Optional: cooked Edamame (I left them out for this particular lunch there was already beans in the chili)

Cook the quinoa as directed. When cooked, put on top of a layer of lettuce. Add tomato, green onion, avocado and edamame. Eat and enjoy!

I got this idea from a friend who said that whenever he needs some energy he eats quinoa with edamame. I had leftover tomatoes and green onions from another meal, so decided to add these as well.




Happy eating!