It’s thawed..slowly but surely the patch of rough snowy weather has dissipated. The misery has come to an end and my feelings can only be described as sweet sweet liberation from a frozen hell. I feel like a refugee-is there still a living, breathing, functioning world out there? Unbelievable. This must be what they call cabin fever- I am cabin fever. That is the word I identify the most with right now. Not tall or blonde or brown eyed…nope, just straight up cabin fever.

I survived slippery trips to the grocery..they were manageable but tedious. It took an immense amount of effort and attention to wade through snow, ice and torrential rain without falling and breaking my ass. The crap weather has indeed begun to melt but not fast enough. During the whole catastrophe my foods have leaned towards spicy- Mexican, Southwestern…obviously Im living vicariously through my meals. My cooking has also fallen heavily toward whats in the house since Id have sooner eaten my dogs kibble rather than go out in this shit. One of the easier things to make is chili. Can of beans + chili powder + whatever else is sitting around= chili. Obviously the more ingredients around the better-onions, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers etc. Scouring the kitchen, I found some gems- red quinoa and a can of black beans. Previous to this recipe, putting quinoa in chili never occurred to me. I guess it took being mercilessly trapped in the house for it to cross my mind as an option…good thing that storm hit eh? No. But good thing there was a nice warm meal with which to distract myself with temporarily. Eat this with cornbread, tortilla’s or grilled vegetables on the side. Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive or canola oil 2 cups white onions, chopped 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 cup quinoa ( I used red but it doesnt matter what variety you go for ) 3 tsp chili powder 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp blackening seasoning 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup sweet corn 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, divided lime, tofu sour cream, avocado for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions, red peppers and tomatoes. Saute until softened- 5 min or so. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until quinoa is tender- about 15 minutes.
2. Add beans, corn and 1/4 cup cilantro. Cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is absorbed- 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Garnish with a squeeze of lime, tofu sour cream and fresh avocado slices.