Quinoa and Black Bean Chili

I've been looking for recipes using quinoa and recently tried this quinoa and black bean chili from allrecipes.com. Since it was just the kids and I eating, I made a half batch. It had a lot of flavor and just enough of a kick without being too hot.

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (I didn't have fresh garlic on hand, so I used garlic powder)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used a can of RoTel tomatoes)
2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I just used one green pepper, no red this time)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped (I skipped the zucchini)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Since I used RoTel tomatoes, I did not add any jalapeno)
1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used a small can of green chiles)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Instead of the spices listed, I used a packet of chili seasoning)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I'm not a fan of cilantro, so I left it out)

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute to release the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, stir in the reserved quinoa and corn. Cook to reheat the corn for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro to serve.

Quinoa with Carrots and Raisins

We tried quinoa for the first time last week. This recipe is from allrecipes.com.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced (I used 1/2 of an onion)
2 carrots, grated
1 1/4 cups raisins (I used about a cup)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups quinoa
3/4 cup chopped cilantro (I did not use cilantro)
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, carrots, raisins, and pumpkin pie spice until onion becomes golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in quinoa and cilantro and allow to toast for a few minutes. Pour orange juice and water in and stir well, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then add walnuts. Fluff with a fork and serve.

I like this okay, but it probably won't be a regular at our house. The orange juice and raisins were kind of a strange combination with the onions. I look forward to using quinoa in other ways!