It has been cold and rainy here! Soup weather to me! A blustery, wet day is a perfect time to eat some hot soup to warm you up on the inside.
This quinoa chile was incredibly delicious! I love spicy hot, so I used about 4 or 5 chipotles in this recipe. In case you don’t have, or don’t like chipotle chiles, use a little cayenne or red pepper flakes, along with maybe 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke. Don’t let the long list of ingredients discourage you! Just pulse it in a food processor, add it to the soup pot and simmer!
If you think vegan cornbread can’t possibly be good, try this one! It’s unbelievably tasty and has a moist, cakey texture. The entire dinner can be on the table in about an hour, with everything prepared from scratch!

Here is what to do:

For the Chile you’ll need:

• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed well in a sieve
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers (not the spicy ones), pureed with liquid
• 1 large can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cans ( 14 oz each) of beans, rinsed and drained. I used kidney and black beans.
• 1 bag of frozen corn (Trader Joe’s fire-roasted is great)
• 1 peeled and chopped red onion
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• chipotle en adobo to taste (these are smoked jalapeños in a spicy tomato sauce). Start with a little, you can always add more later! I used about 5 of them.
• a little sea salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic granules
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon of ground coriander
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave syrup
• chopped cilantro or green onions for garnish if you have it around.

In a heavy bottomed soup pot bring the broth and quinoa to a boil.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro and green onions.
Return to a boil, then turn down the heat to low.
Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to you liking.

While the chile is simmering away, prepare the cornbread and salad.

For the cornbread you’ll need

• 3 tablespoons ground golden flaxseed
• 8 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal (I use a medium grind for the extra crunch)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ground golden flaxseed
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup non-dairy unsweetened milk
• 1/4 cup of canola or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425°.
Spray a 9″ round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with the boiling water and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, combine the flour, corn meal, sugar, 1/4 cup dry flaxseed, baking powder and salt.
When the flaxseed/ boiling water mixture is cool (it will be a little gelatinous like egg whites) mix it with the non-dairy milk and canola oil.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix just enough to combine.
Don’t overdue it!
Pour the batter into the cake pan, even out the top and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Test for doneness with a toothpick. Mine is always done after exactly 20 minutes.
Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn it out onto a plate.
Eat warm with a little vegan butter, or my favorite, a few slices of avocado!

Enjoy!