Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe is a Pinterest find.  The original recipe is from Mike Free Mom.

2 15oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 6oz can tomato paste

32oz vegetable stock

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 T chili powder

1 T cumin

1 t oregano

1 T olive oil

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 c dry quinoa

salt and pepper, to taste

avocado and cilantro, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium low heat. Add onions, and cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 10minutes).
2. Add the garlic, and cook for about 2minutes. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the beans, stock, and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5minutes, then add the quinoa.
4. Continue cooking for about 15 – 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until quinoa and potatoes are cooked and the chili has thickened. Add a bit of water if the chili becomes too thick for your liking.
5. Serve with avocado and chopped cilantro.

I have to admit, I intended this make this recipe as a way to use up some sweet potatoes we had, and had purchased a butternut squash at the store for another recipe.  Well, when I was making this, I completely misread the directions and used a butternut squash peeled and cut into bite sized chunks instead of the sweet potato.  Oops?  It was very good, but the cooking time was longer and I did have to add water on top of the vegetable broth.  Next time I was cook as per the directions; everything else about this was quite tasty!

Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Yes, I am clearly on a squash kick. I love how local and available winter squash is these days. It’s so fresh and tasty! This recipe is no exception, super easy and very versatile. I got the idea from this Google-search result. Enjoy!



1 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 T butter

1 c quinoa

2 c water or vegetable broth (to cook quinoa)

1 T olive oil (for sautéing)

1/2 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c mushrooms, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 T parsley, chopped

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place squash cut-side up on a baking sheet and place 1/2 T butter into each half. Sprinkle with salt and paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa with water or vegetable broth according to directions.

4. Use olive oil to sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots and celery about 10 minutes until slightly brown.

5. Add sautéed vegetables to quinoa and season with parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste.

6. Once squash halves have cooled, spoon quinoa mixture into each half. There will be leftovers. Top with feta, serve warm.

The squash I used was on a small side, it still took 45 minutes to cook, but I served more of the “stuffing” on the side (there are still leftovers). You can sub all kinds of cool stuff as well. If you follow the link to the recipe I emulated, they used a couple different items, and the recipe they revised also has different ingredients. Be creative, use what you have in the house! And let me know how it goes.