Quinoa "Tortilla" Taco Soup with Beef, Black Beans, and Tomatoes

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Fall makes me so nostalgic. From soup to tall boots to Halloween costumes, there is something in it for everyone that reminds us of years past. 

And so, naturally, I'm making the most of it. Bring on the crock pot, my friend.

After the last batch of chili, I've been on a soup kick. It's the easiest way to have a large volume of healthy eats available at a moment's notice.

One of my favorite soups is tortilla soup... minus the tortilla. Basically, I just want a taco in a bowl. Only, the day I was making this, I only had frozen chicken, and a few pounds of lean ground beef were burning a hole in my fridge. So, beef it was! Feel free to sub shredded chicken, if need be!

I also decided to add quinoa to this recipe, to give it some "staying power" and add some fiber. If you can't handle the QUEEN, feel free to sub for couscous or rice. But, really... try the quinoa!

Quinoa Taco Soup with Beef, Black Beans, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups dry quinoa
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 can roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup black beans
• 1lb lean ground beef

Directions:

1. Boil 4 cups chicken stock. Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Brown ground beef in a pan.
3. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, black beans, and cooked ground beef to the pot of chicken stock and quinoa.
4. Cook on low for 3 hours.
5. Add remaining chicken stock and cook for another hour.

Chicken and Veggie Soup - 10 Minute Dinner

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Sometimes, meals are born out of true creative genius. Like suddenly realizing that chickpea fake cookie dough might also be delicious baked as an actual cookie. And then there are times when things are born out of pure necessity. This would be the latter. :)

 

Recently, I put some thinly sliced chicken breasts in the oven to bake them and then flat out forgot. After doing some cleaning around the apartment and watching one okay, two episodes of 30 Rock, an alarm suddenly went off in my head. THE CHICKEN!

I pulled it out of the oven only to see that it was totally, totally dry. Like, so dry that my fiance immediately declared it inedible. Challenge accepted, my love.

The next day, I used a pizza cutter to slice it up into bite sized pieces. I steamed a bag of veggies and put it all in a pot with low sodium chicken broth (SERIOUSLY, GO LOW SODIUM!). And... voila. Chicken and Veggie soup.

Chicken and Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pre-cooked chicken breasts
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 bag frozen steamable vegetables (I used a carrot, corn, pea mix)

Directions:

1. Put the frozen veggies in the microwave to steam.
2. Cut chicken breasts. 
3. Combine in a pot with chicken broth and heat over medium temperature until hot.

It's good to-go, too! Put it in a mason jar (or something else that closes securely - God forbid you have a purse spill) and take it to work!