Oat Quinoa Turkey Chili Recipe

Posted on 9th of February, 2011 by Lévana

Oat Quinoa Turkey Chili

For all of us whose love of beans remains, alas, unrequited, let me say you can make a perfect chili substituting oat, quinoa, and lentils in any proportion for the feisty beans, so you can have your chili and eat it too!

Ground turkey is an ideal choice as it is so lean and so full of flavor.

You can easily make this dish vegetarian: It has lots of great flavor going for it even without the meat. If beans are no trouble, by all means use them—3 cups in all—but soak them overnight and cook the dish a little longer until the beans are tender.

Ingredients:

Sofrito:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onion, quartered

2 ribs celery, peeled and cut in thirds

4 large cloves garlic

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 small bunch cilantro, stems discarded

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in chunks

1½ pounds ground turkey, beef, lamb, or bison (skip for an all-vegetarian dish or substitute 1 pound seitan, diced)

4 cups canned crushed tomatoes

⅓ cup tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground

⅓ cup chili powder

1 cup steel-cut oats

1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed and strained

1 cup short grain brown rice or barley

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons oregano

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Make the sofrito: Coarsely grind in a food processor the onion, celery, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and red pepper, and add the ground mixture to the pot. Sauté until translucent.  Add the meat and sauté, breaking up any large chunks, until no longer pink. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, bay leaves, chili powder, oats, quinoa and lentils, and 12 cups (3 quarts) water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook covered for 1 hour. Add all remaining ingredients and cook 10 more minutes. Adjust texture and seasonings. Serve alone or with the usual garnishes: white or brown rice, guacamole (recipe follows), or corn chips. Makes a dozen ample servings.

Filed under: Chili Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Kosher Food, Kosher Ingredients, Kosher Natural Foods, Kosher Recipes, Kosher Whole Foods Recipes, Natural Foods Recipes, Pareve Recipes, Recipes, Turkey Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes