Quinoa Chili

 Good morning all!
 It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day in the middle of February.  I'll take it.  We went exploring yesterday since it was so nice out.  We probably walked 2-3 miles.  Why can't I seem to get the motivation to do that everyday.    

 So anyway, I have just recently started to eat quinoa.  Here is a little information on it:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa

It is easy to cook and delicious!  Here is a recipe I have found and tried.  I obviously took out the beef for me.  My husband eats meat so we had to divide the recipe and put beef in his.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
•  1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. 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.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Once the red and green peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve.

I think I might need to eat this tonight.
Here is the recipe if you need to change serving sizes and view nutrition facts.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-chili/detail.aspx