Since the weather conditions became somewhat intense, I am definitely trying to minimize the time I need to spend next to the stove. I do, however, wish to eat as well, so I turn to quick and easy dishes that require minimal attention and can be made in larger batches.

This chili recipe is super versatile and you can throw in any odd leftover veggies you might have hanging around your fridge. There’s also a wide variety of side dishes you can serve it with. I opted for quinoa, but other grains of choice would also work well here. You can also use it as a tortilla and taco stuffing as well, which I’ve done on many occasions.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 4 generous servings / 0.95 EUR per serving / 3.78 EUR for all)

For the chili:

2 tbsp sunflower seed oil (0.03 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.13 EUR)

1 red bell pepper (0.40 EUR)

2 carrots (0.20 EUR)

1 tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp red pepper flakes (0.03 EUR)

1 tsp smoked paprika (0.07 EUR)

1 tsp garlic powder (0.07 EUR)

1 tsp oregano (0.07 EUR)

1 bay leaf (0.03 EUR)

1 cup black lentils (1.00 EUR)

1 tbsp dried parsley (0.07 EUR)

2 cups tomato puree (0.53 EUR)

1 cup water (–)

For quinoa:

1 cup quinoa (1.00 EUR)

2 cups water (–)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

METHOD:

Wash, peel and finely dice all of the veggies. Rinse the lentils in a colander under running water. Place deep pot on high heat and add in oil, onion, garlic, pepper and carrots. Saute for a few minutes, until veggies are softened and slightly caramelized. Add in salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic powder, oregano and bay leaf. Stir and cook for just a minute, so the spices become fragrant. Add in lentils, parsley, tomato puree and water. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat and cook with a lid cracked open for about 45 minutes, until lentils are thoroughly cooked through. If needed, add a splash more of water.

While the chili is simmering away, prepare the quinoa as well. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water, then add to a small pot along with water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook with a lid on for 15 minutes.

Serve the chili over cooked quinoa, or portion out and refrigerate for up to five days.

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Pošto su nam se vremenski uvjeti intenzivirali po pitanju vrućine, definitivno se trudim minimizirati trenutke provedene uz štednjak. Međutim, također želim i jesti, pa sam napravila kompromis tako da sam se okrenula jednostavnim jelima oko kojih ne treba puno petljati, a može ih se skuhati i u većim količinama.

Ovaj recept za čili je jako prilagodljiv i u njega slobodno možete utrpati bilo koje rendom ostatke povrća koji su vam se skupili doma. Također, možete ga servirati sa raznoraznim prilozima. Ja sam se odlučila za kvinoju, ali bilo koja druga žitarica bi ovdje isto bila super. Osim toga, čili možete utrpati i u tortilje ili tacose, što je kod nas doma već isprobana i provjerena metoda.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 4 izdašne porcije / 7,04 kn po porciji / 28,17 kn za sve)

Za čili:

2 žlice suncokretovog ulja (0,20 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (1,00 kn)

1 crvena paprika (3,00 kn)

2 mrkve (1,50 kn)

1 žličica soli (0,01 kn)

½ žličice svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,25 kn)

½ žličice sušenog čilija u pahuljicama (0,25 kn)

1 žličica dimljene paprike (0,50 kn)

1 žličica češnjaka u prahu (0,50 kn)

1 žličica origana (0,50 kn)

1 lovorov list (0,20 kn)

1 šalica crne leće (7,50 kn)

1 žlica sušenog peršina (0,50 kn)

2 šalice pasirane rajčice (4,00 kn)

1 šalica vode (–)

Za kvinoju:

1 šalica kvinoje (7,50 kn)

2 šalice vode (–)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Operite, ogulite i fino nasjeckajte svo povrće. Leću isperite u cjediljci pod mlazom vode. Stavite duboki lonac na jaku vatru i dodajte ulje, luk, češnjak, papriku i mrkve. Dinstajte nekoliko minuta da sve omekša i lagano se karamelizira. Ubacite sol, papar, čili, papriku, češnjak u prahu, origano i lovor. Promiješajte i kuhajte samo minutu da začini zamiriše. Sada dodajte i leću, peršin, pasiranu rajčicu i vodu. Pustite da zavrije, smanjite vatru, pa krčkajte oko 45 minuta, dok leća ne bude skroz kuhana. Prema potrebi dodajte još mrvicu vode.

Dok se čili krčka pripremite kvinoju. Isperite i kvinoju u sitnoj cjediljci pod mlazom tekuće vode. Ubacite u lončić, prelijte vodom, posolite i stavite kuhati. Kada zavrije, smanjite vatru i krčkajte poklopljeno 15 minuta.

Čili poslužite odmah sa kuhanom kvinojom ili rasporedite u porcije i čuvajte u hladnjaku do pet dana.