Hello Everybody!

This is one of my favorite recipes for a cold, winter day. This chili is thick, hearty, and flavorful! You can substitute various vegetables for what is available and still have an equally good meal. It's been cooked in a crock pot and in a pot on the stove. It was a big hit at my Thanksgiving potluck at work.

If you like to pre-make lunches for the week this is perfect because the leftovers taste even better!

I hope you like it! :) Enjoy!

Step 1: Ingredients

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced or whole tomatoes or approximately 10 fresh plum/roma tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can tomato paste/sauce

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans or ahead of time cook approximately 1/2 c. kidney beans (dry volume)

1 (15 oz) can black beans or ahead of time cook approximately 1/2 c. black beans (dry volume)

1 1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp paprika (smoked is better!)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp cayenne (red) pepper

1/2 tsp ground coriander (if you have a mortar and pestle - fresh is WAY better!)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 green poblano pepper, diced

1 red (spanish) onion

3 cloves garlic

5 c. water (don't skimp! my friend made this mistake...once...)

1 c. quinoa (any color)

corn cut from 2 corn cobs

juice from 1 lemon

big hand full of cilantro, chopped up (adding cilantro stems is okay!)

avocado diced (optional)

sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Step 2: Tomatoes and Beans

TOMATOES

So, although I took a picture of a whole tomato I became lazy when I started to make it and changed to whole, canned tomatoes. To use whole, fresh tomatoes: (1) boil some water, (2) put tomatoes in water for about 3-5 minutes, (3) drain tomatoes, (4) cool tomatoes, (5) peel skin off tomatoes, (6) chop up tomatoes and put them in a bowl for the recipe

BEANS

I'm super lazy with cooking beans: (1) beans + boiling water, (2) cook beans until soft all the way through, (3) drain water and discard water. Done! Do I pre-soak the beans? No - that goes along with the laziness thing and they always taste good in the recipe.

Step 3: Dried Spices & Tomato-based Ingredients

1. In a pot or crock pot mix the canned tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes), tomato paste, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, coriander, paprika, sugar, and beans.

2. Set aside