Slow Cooker Chicken Chili with Quinoa

Watching the Thursday evening Minnesota News with pictures of wet heavy snow falling throughout the day made me think of this poem "The Snow Fairy" by Claude Mckay and "The Dance of the Snow Fairies" by Tchaikovsky.

The Snow Fairy

by Claude McKay

Jamaican-American Novelist and Poet

1889-1948

Throughout the afternoon I watched them there,

Snow-fairies falling, falling from the sky,

Whirling fantastic in the misty air,

Contending fierce for space supremacy.

And they flew down a mightier force at night,

As though in heaven there was revolt and riot,

And they, frail things had taken panic flight

Down to the calm earth seeking peace and quiet.

I went to bed and rose at early dawn

To see them huddled together in a heap,

Each merged into the other upon the lawn,

Worn out by the sharp struggle, fast asleep.

The sun shone brightly on them half the day,

By night they stealthily had stol’n away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4b-wPgc5kY
follow this link to the " Dance of the Snow Fairies" from The Nutcracker Suite music by Tchaikovsky

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili with Quinoa

Cooking tip: The quinoa soaks up a lot of the liquid. So at the end of cooking time you’ll want to add a bit more chicken broth to get the exact consistency you want- just a heads up so when you open the lid to your slow-cooker and see your soup is thick, you’ll know this is a normal part of the process.
Cook's notes: This chili or chili-like soup is hearty and healthy packed with protein. Like majorly packed with protein… chicken, black beans, and quinoa make every spoonful a little protein explosion! This isn’t a chili in the sense that it’s spicy or chili-flavored (you know, that beany meaty kind), but it’s stocked with beans, corn, peppers, onion, garlic, chicken, and quinoa, so call it what you want… I’d say chili-ish in nature The beauty of the recipe is its ease.  Just dump ingredients in pot, cover and wait a few hours and VOILA! it's done.  You can easily freeze leftovers in plastic containers so when the days get cold you'll appreciate having a warm up.  Recipe adapted from honeygheeandme

Ingredients:

• 1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
• 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can of corn, drained
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (use 3 if they're small) cut in large chunks  
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup combination of red and yellow baby peppers
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2-3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed but not cooked
• Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocados, and tortilla strips

Directions:

• Make sure you rinse the quinoa before adding in slow cooker. Lay uncooked chicken on the bottom of the pot. Add rest of ingredients into a 6 quart slow cooker. 
• Cover and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Stir occasionally. 
• Remove chicken and shred it with two forks. Return to slow cooker. Remove bay leaf before serving.
  
• Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, avocados, tortilla strips.