Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chilli

I'm ashamed to admit this is actually a Dr. Oz recipe....

Yeah I know, I'm a chef and a food lover- what am I thinking?! But hear me out.. I'm trying to make healthier choices, I quite enjoy eating high-fat foods but unfortunately my metabolism doesn't agree and I don't enjoy exercise. So I have a dilemma, I can continue eating like a grub and watch my health deteriorate or I can make a bit of an effort to eat better (ok and maybe do some kind of exercise-YUCK).

So yeah, thats how I stumbled upon this recipe. Don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy healthy food! I enjoy any kind of food to be honest, I'm not fussy (hence the perpetual food baby), but this recipe actually intrigues me quite a bit. It's got a lot of stuff thats good for you in it, and it tastes quite delicious so don't be a hater and give it a go... If you don't like it, don't stress, I'll post something with meat next time.





 You will need... Makes 6 servings

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 cup dry quinoa
1 onion, diced
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 sprigs fresh parsley, washed and chopped
Himalayan salt (to taste)
4 cups water or vegetable broth
Avocado, coriander and/or diced onion, for garnish

Method...
1. In large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook until soft and they start to turn brown (about 7 to 10 minutes).
2. Add garlic, cook for another minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover slightly ajar, reduce heat and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. 
3. Chili is ready when sweet potatoes are tender. Add additional water if chili is too thick for your liking. Serve with optional garnishes. 
4. As with all recipes, adjust seasoning to taste. Also, use whatever beans you prefer. You may even like to use one kind of bean instead of two.

 Personal note: This is actually quite a flexible dish, you can turn it into a vego-taco filling, topped with all the other usual taco suspects (tomato, lettuce, cheese etc), you can bring it to room temperature and mix it with baby spinach and tomato for a filling salad (I wouldn't recommend eating it cold, but if you want to give it a go no ones stopping you).. Get creative and let me know if you've done some crazy stuff with this!

 Also, I used tri-colour quinoa but any kind of quinoa will work fine!

 Check out the original recipe here:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/sweet-potato-and-quinoa-chili

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