Dinner: Quinoa Chile

I discovered a new pepper. I am such a spice wimp that I don't even know the name of anything except Jalapeño and bell peppers. But I bought a long, narrow green pepper last week at the fruit stand, and I started putting it in everything. It is spice, but really fun.

1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
3 cups frozen corn
1 cup raw quinoa
1 cup raw lentils (any color)
2 caps diced tomatoes
1/4 of a medium spicy pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 onion, diced and sautéed
1/4 cup of minced garlic
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. cumin
2 t. chile powder
4 cups water (more might be needed

Either add everything into a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. OR, you can start with a big pot on your stove top. Add the onions and maybe a dash of oil and sauté right in your big pot. Then add everything else in no order. I drain pinto beans, but for everything else, I just add it with the liquid. This recipe needs a lot of liquid for the quinoa and lentils to cook. If there is not enough liquid, you will get a mush.

Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer for a minimum of 45 minutes to cook the lentils and quinoa and stir occasionally. Add water to make the soup/ chile the consistency that you like. Keep on simmer up to 4 hours. But make sure to stir every 30 minutes because cooking quinoa likes to stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve any time after 45 minutes. The flavor comes out quickly and is very good.

 Serve with raw and dairy sour cream. Chips are a must. Cheese is optional.