Three-Bean Stew with Red Quinoa
This vegetarian stew has a colorful array ofbeans and features the lesser-known adzuki bean, a small red bean that’s aparticular favorite in macrobiotic diets. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, loadedwith minerals and easier to digest than some other beans. Kombu is a seavegetable (aka seaweed) that helps tenderize the beans and imparts mineralsduring cooking. I like to think of it as the bay leaf for beans. Adding chunkyvegetables and quinoa to this stew gives it a hearty enough texture to satisfyany meat-eating friends or family. Note that the black beans should be soakedseparately as they are cooked longer than the others.
Ingredients
- â…“ cup dried black beans soaked overnight
- â…“ cup dried adzuki beans soaked overnight
- â…“ cup dried cannellini beans soaked overnight
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 6-inch strip kombu
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 small zucchini chopped
- 1 unpeeled sweet potato scrubbed and chopped into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup red quinoa
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ¼ cup diced green chilies
- 1 cup fire-roasted peppers
Instructions
- Rinse the beans thoroughly and drain.
- Put the black beans in a large stockpot with the broth and kombu.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the adzuki and cannellini beans and simmer for another 60 to 90 minutes, or until all the beans are tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the zucchini and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Set aside.
- When the beans are tender, discard the kombu.
- Add the onions and zucchini, sweet potato, garlic, quinoa, chili powder, cumin, ginger, salt, and cinnamon to the stockpot.
- Stir in any optional items at this time.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle and the sweet potato to soften.
Notes & Wine Advice
Quinoa is higher in healthy unsaturated fats than most other grains and even contains a small amount of omega-3s. It’s also loaded with a unique blend of phytonutrients known to be anti-inflammatory.