Vegan Chili con Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes, Black Beans, and Cashew Sour cream

As a semi-vegan or flexitarian, I love creating 100 percent plant-based dishes that taste or look the same as some of my non-vegan comfort foods. Maybe that's why I love cooking vegan or veggie dishes so much.... a lot of creativity and love goes into those recipes, and they are healthy too. Win-win!

A good old chili con carne is a classic that always goes down well. This has inspired me to make my own vegan version: Chili con Quinoa... and I must say, the pot was empty. While I cooked a little bit too much a friend dropped by later, and he happily finished the dish!

While the dish was absolutely delicious, now that everything has been cooked and eaten, I think I should have used mung or aduki beans instead of quinoa. When these red or green beans are cooked they really resemble the texture of meat. I once made a vegan lasagna with them and my hubby thought I used minced beef. Note for a future dish has been made ;-)

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the cashew sour cream

1 cup raw unsalted cashew nuts soaked and drained
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
0.5-1 lime or lemon juice only, add to taste
pinch sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup water depending on how thick you want it to be

For the chili con quinoa

1.5 cup carrots, chopped
3 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 big sweet potato (any color or variety), chopped (we used purple)
1 cup cooked or canned black beans drained and rinsed (½ cup dried = 1.5 cup cooked = 1 15 oz can, drained)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Thai chili pepper, finley chopped (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
sea salt
black pepper
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup water

Instructions

for the cashew cream

1. Soak cashews in water for at least 1 hour. Overnight is best. The longer they soak, the creamier the sour cream.
2. Drain soaked cashews and combine all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Add more water if needed.

For the chili con quinoa

1. In a large pot, heat cooking oil over medium. Saute onions for 2 minutes, add chili, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir regularly.
2. Stir in tomatoes, sweet potato, carrots, uncooked quinoa, oregano, salt, pepper, and water. Stir well. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add more water if needed.
3. Add black beans and cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Top with cashew sour cream

Enjoy!

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