Quinoa Chili Fries

Pack some nutrition into your party fare! These quinoa chili fries skip the meat and cheese in favor of nutrient-packed quinoa and beans, which pack in both fiber and protein. Baking the potatoes leaves them crispy and delicious while using less oil than frying. This recipe comes to us from Gin of Eat Healthy Eat Happy.

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Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried quinoa, cooked according to package
• 3 Tbs olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch red pepper flakes
• a few twists fresh black pepper
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch (8 or so) green onions, chopped (save tops for garnish)
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 15 oz. can or 1½ c cooked red or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz. can or 1½ c cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 2 15 oz. cans diced no salt added tomatoes
• 1 6 oz. can no salt added tomato paste
• 1 Tbs maple syrup (or your favorite sweetener)
• 2 Tbs red cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c water
• 4 russet potatoes

Directions:

Cook the quinoa and set aside. Prep the veggies while the quinoa cooks.

In a large, lidded pot combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Raise the heat to low and let the spices bloom for 2-3 minutes.

Add the garlic and onions. Raise the heat to medium low and saute 5 minutes. Add the peppers, raise the heat to medium and saute 5 minutes.

Stir in the cooked quinoa and saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover loosely, turn the heat to low and let the chili simmer while you make the fries.

To make the fries, heat the oven to 465F. Cook 2 small or 1 large potato per serving. To cook 2 servings: cut the potatoes into fries. Combine 1 Tbs oil and sprinklings of chili powder, paprika, onion and garlic powder in a large bowl. Just eyeballing is fine. Toss the potatoes in the oil and spice and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, flip them over and bake another 10 minutes. Top with chili and serve.