Slow Cooker Quinoa Chili

Have you discovered the quinoa?  No????  If not, allow me to try and convince you that you need to be eating quinoa.  

These are the quinoa facts:
*1 cup of cooked quinoa contains 8.14 grams of protien.
*Quinoa is a cholesteral-free and low-fat food.
*Eating 1 cup of quinoa will provide you with 15% of your daily iron and 21% of your recommended daily fiber.
*There are 118mg of magnesium in each cup of quinoa. (30% of recommended daily intake.)
*Quinoa contains no wheat or gluten.
*Quinoa is stocked with vitamins, minerals and all 8 essential nutrients.
*It takes less than 15 minutes to prepare quinoa.
*Quinoa is a low glycemic food.
*1 cup of quinoa contains 28% of your daily value of phosphorous, 18% copper and almost 60% manganese.  (I really didn't even know I was supposed to be eating manganese.)

The point of all that is --- we should be eating quinoa.  It's healthy, it's easy to prepare and it's tasty.  Ok, I'll be perfectly honest - quinoa is a little bland to eat all by itself but it's easy to spice it up and add some flavor.  

I first saw this recipe for Quinoa Chili on Pinterest by queenbeecoupons.com.  It was called Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili.  It looked delicious but I was looking for a vegetarian chili so I modified her recipe slightly.  It was a perfect meal for a cold night.  I love easy recipes that I can throw together in the crock pot and simmer all day.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chili
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
One (1) 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (you could use crushed)
One (1) 14 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
Two (2) 16 oz cans of black beans, rinsed, drained
One (1) 15 oz can of corn, drained
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve. 

You can adjust the spices as you like.  This one was perfect for me but you could certainly boost the heat with a little more jalapeno or a can of green chilies or more red pepper flakes.  

This is a perfect curl up in front of the fire, kind of food.  Enjoy.

Ciao!

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