Tag Archives: Food

Pinning and Dining: Vegetarian Taco Soup

I love soup! Creamy soup, spicy soup, meaty soup… they are all good. Eating soup is the perfect way to sneak in some extra vegetables to your diet. Another plus is that when you are only feeding a family of 2.5 a batch of soup will last for several meals. Score! Less cooking for the wifey.

A couple of weeks ago the cool mornings had finally gotten to me and I decided it was time to fix some soup… taco soup. I would eat it year round but ML prefers cooler weather for steamy hot liquid to be rushing through his body. Normally, I use the same meaty recipe I grew up eating but this time I decided to try something a little different. Vegetarian Taco Soup.

cooking

It was amazing and knocked the meatier soup off of the podium as one of our top five fave soups. At first I wondered if sans meat it would be enough to fill us up but it is chocked full of beans and vegetables that will satisfy your tummy. Even Noah was a huge fan of it, eating so much that her nose began to run and needed frequent water breaks.

I found the original recipe here but made a few modifications to mine. Below is what I ended up with:

Vegetarian Taco Soup

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans
1 (15 ounce) can navy beans
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
2 (15 ounce) cans corn
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel Tomatoes
2 cups water
1 recipe homemade taco seasoning mix
3 tablespoons homemade ranch dressing mix

Making your own seasoning mixes is quick, easy, and affordable. Your probably already have all the spices needed on hand. It’s the migraine free way to go.

1. Drain and rinse first five ingredients.

2. Pour into large pot.

3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

4. Let simmer 30 minutes and then enjoy!

For some extra yumminess I served it with tortilla chips, shredded Mexican cheese, and sour cream.

This recipe is super easy and chocked full of flavor. It’s perfect for busy weeknights or having friends over to watch the big game. Or in our case… having enough food to last us four nights.

What about you? Have you swapped any of your favorite meaty soup recipes for something meatless? What are your favorite sides to serve with soup? For me it’s gotta be Jiffy cornbread. I love the sweetness! And for the bonus, what’s your favorite soup?

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Pinning and Dining: A New Series

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To commemorate Summertime and the love of quick, easy, and delicious meals (or desserts). I thought I would share some great finds I have found on Pinterest.

Source: food.com via Krystle on Pinterest

This recipe claims to taste just like a Wendy’s frosty and it does not disappoint. ML and I for the most part gave up fast food almost two years ago. Before that Wendy’s chicken nuggets and frosties were a road trip staple for us. Let’s just say we still long for a frosty almost every time we pass a Wendy’s. So when I saw this pinned on Pinterest I just had to give it a try. We prepared it for a pot luck dinner party and everyone loved it. To give it a healthy touch we used chocolate almond milk, and Whole Food’s version of cool whip. The change in ingredients worked fine and did not alter the taste. This has definitely become an ice cream favorite for us.

Source: attemptsatdomestication.com via Krystle on Pinterest

This pasta recipe I pinned from Ashley my friend over at Attempts at Domestication. She shared this easy go to pasta recipe a few months ago and I just had to try it for ML. He loved it and I did too because I already had all the ingredients on hand. Using tomatoes, frozen vegetables, some spices, and a little left over wine this recipe leaves you with plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the night.

Source: tastykitchen.com via Krystle on Pinterest

This is a fabulous cheesy chicken and rice bake. I tweaked it a little by doubling the black beans and eliminating the chicken for a vegetarian alternative. We love black beans, corn, and cilantro. This recipe has them all and is packed full of flavor. Who doesn’t love a one stop casserole dish for the Summer? Pair this with some salad and you have a complete meal!

Sharing all these recipes has gotten me hungry and ready to cook. I guess that’s a good thing for ML! I love trying new recipes. This post begins a new series I am starting titled “Pinning and Dining”. I hope to share more wonderful recipes I have found or have pinned to Pinterest. As well as give you real life pictures and comments on how it actually turns out. I am sure ML will fully support this new series on the blog.

Have you found any new Summer recipes that your family loves? Do you share our love of frosties? Does your family have a theme night for dinner on certain nights of the week? (Italian, Mexican, comfort food) I have thought about implementing this once Noah gets older.

Interested in more great recipes I have found on Pinterest? See here, here, and here.

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Jump Start on Cinco de Mayo

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For the most part ML and I try to/have to stick to a fairly healthy diet which includes avoiding processed and/or packaged foods. This includes boxed dinners such as Hamburger Helper, deli meat, and packaged seasoning. (To learn more about our diet and how it has eliminated my migraines, see here.)

Mexican dishes are a favorite in our house, but there are a few store bought items we have to avoid when fixing a Mexican dish. One of these is packaged taco seasoning because it often contains MSG which is a trigger for my migraines. Thankfully, I have a recipe for an all natural taco seasoning mix. It is super easy and tastes as good if not better than the store bought stuff. Another plus is that you probably already have the needed spices on hand, so it costs practically nothing to make it.

I can’t take credit for the recipe because I found it on Allrecipes.com, but I wanted to share it with you because it is so easy and good! I did end up tweaking mine a little.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I didn’t have any on hand so I left this spice out.)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I added this for a little extra kick.)

On a spice level it is probably a mild to medium. So add a little extra chili powder or cayenne pepper for more spice.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then use as a substitute when a recipe calls for a packet of taco seasoning mix.

I told you it was easy! And by making your own, you avoid all the unnecessary chemicals and flavor enhancers. Plus it’s all natural and spices are loaded with tons of health benefits.

I made up a taco seasoning batch the other day and used it for this wonderful Taco Dip Dinner recipe I found at 2 Crafty 4 My Skirt.

I ended up pinning it to Pinterest and had to give it a try. Check out the link above for her recipe. It is really easy… perfect for a quick meal after work. I will definitely be using her recipe again. It also incorporates one of the healthy alternative/ less expensive techniques I have learned… adding a can of beans to the meat mixture.