Yoo-hoo, Fall? Where are you?

I was duped this week by the calendar. September 21st, it said. Fall equinox, it bragged. Yeah, well we live in California, and it is in the high 80s here today. Nevertheless, I had shopped for a lovely soupy chili, so last night, that is what we ate (whilst sitting in the direct flow of the a/c vent). It may not have been the most climatologically appropriate meal to be supping on, but it was pretty delicious, we all agreed (whilst mopping sweat from our brows with the odd napkin). Truth be told, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but we love nothing more than a sizable bowl of spoonable chili in this house, so the darker evenings and lower temperatures cannot come soon enough, particularly since the current Fahrenheit spikes have Californians worrying about wildfires once again.

So, if you too are holding off packing away your shorts and bikinis for a while, put this recipe in your back pocket for now, but be sure to bring it out again when the temps start to fall. If however, you live somewhere normal, with more predictable seasons, it'd definitely worth adding to the rotation now.

Quinoa Chili Soup
Serves 5

1 tsp canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/4" chunks
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/4" chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
3 1/2 cups water
1 280z can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup uncooked white quinoa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
To serve: extra chopped cilantro, finely chopped green onions, chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar, wedges of lime for squeezing over

1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pan, warm the oil over a medium heat, and then saute the onion, carrot, garlic, jalapeño and celery for about 8 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the carrots are starting to soften.
2. Add the water, tomatoes, black beans, cumin, salt, chili powder, quinoa, black pepper and cilantro and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes until the quinoa and the carrots are tender.
3. Remove two ladlefuls of the soup and blend until smooth in a blender or food processor, then stir back into the rest of the soup. This magically makes it thicker and creamy :-)
4. Serve with toppings, and maybe some bread to wipe the bowl clean.