Abel and Cole, Kid and Budget Friendly, Super Food Veggie Chili
Abel and Cole, Family and Budget Friendly, Super Food Veggie Chili
Here is a great dish that is easy, affordable and can be made pretty much year-round: Super Food Veggie Chili. Its soul nourishing and the base is so easy to prepare. You can take the base and adapt it to fit any pallet in a family of diverse preferences.
Base Ingredients:
- Generous glug olive oil
- Good tablespoon of cumin and ground coriander and salt
- 1-2 onions
- 1 tin tomatoes
- 1 tin corn
- 1 tin kidney beans
- 1 cup quinoa
Optional ingredients:
- Lemon
- Yellow and/or red lentils
- Greek style plain yogurt
- Red Leicester cheese
This veggie chili works great for families on a budget, the base ingredients (one tin tomatoes, corn, beans, onions and 250 grams of quinoa) cost about £5.50. This would be enough to feed a family of four with leftovers.
The base chili is a fantastic soup that can also be prepared as a cold salad. Just add fresh coriander and a splash of lemon or lime and you have a healthy super food salad. The lemon and fresh coriander add another £2 to the meal
Keep the base soupy, add some yellow and red lentils to the base and you have a very hearty chili that can be served up with grated red Leicester cheese and/or Greek yogurt (believe it or not a good substitute for sour cream). You can take the heartier chili and puree the mixture and throw it over pasta (there are great whole wheat options at Abel and Cole, too.
Preparation for basic super food chili
Big glug olive, chop an onion and mix into the oil. Sautee until the onions are very soft and translucent, adding in a big tablespoon of ground coriander and you can also add cumin if you like.
After the onions are ready, pour in a tin of tomatoes, a tin of kidney beans and a tin of sweetcorn. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a cup of quinoa and a 2 cups of water (or 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water) and salt to taste. Leave on the stove for 30 minutes or move to the slow cooker.
Preparation for Cold Quinoa and Bean Southwest Salad
Same as above, just use 1 part quinoa to 1 part water. Squeeze fresh lime or lemon on when finished cooking and fold through fresh chopped coriander when the salad has cooled. Serve adults with a good splash of vinegar hot sauce.
Preparation for Hearty Lentil Chili
Same base, just add ½ cup of Quinoa, ½ cup yellow and ½ cup red lentils. You can also throw in a bit of bulgur wheat, too, if you like. Add roughly 3 cups water and salt. Let this cook in the slow cooker for several hours or in the oven.
Serve with a generous portion of grated red Leicester cheese, and a big dollop of Greek style plain yoghurt. Also, puree the chili and pour over whole wheat pasta for toddler-friendly super food pasta sauce.
