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.

How To Stuff Your Face With Mexican Food... The Healthy Way

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“Honestly, all I want to do is stuff my face with some Mexican food.” <-- Yeah, that was me, last week. I don’t know what came over me – I don’t often have strong cravings and, when I do, it’s usually for toast (seriously), so when I suddenly HAD TO HAVE Mexican food, it was like a whole new world.

But Mexican restaurants, while they may be authentic, are pretty much horrible for you. So are tortillas. And sour cream. And queso dip. You get the issue here. And, to make it worse, it’s nearly impossible to have a Mexican dinner at a restaurant without succumbing to the Margarita Misery – and by that, I mean yeah, I’ll just have one – oh, shit, I didn’t realize they are each 400 calories.

And yet, if you know me, you know my attitude about these things. It CAN be done. It just hasn’t been done – YET.

So here’s my solution… because we all deserve to stuff our faces with Mexican food. And we all deserve to do it without paying for it later.

The amounts of each ingredient can very easily be altered – because it’s really just a bowl of Mexican-related ingredients thrown together – so feel free to mix and match, omit and add, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Spinach, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup Black Beans (if you're buying canned beans, look for organic, low sodium, etc – as most canned black beans come LOADED with sodium)
• 1/4 cup Cheese – Cheddar, Mozzarella, Monterey jack, the works! (I used 2% Mozzarella) 
• Avocado/Guacamole – 2 tablespoons Guacamole or ½ Avocado
• Diced Tomatoes (Make sure you get fresh tomatoes and dice them yourself OR pick canned diced tomatoes that do not have added ingredients like fillers and sodium. In the images you see here, we used some canned diced tomatoes and then added a few chunks of freshly diced tomato too).
• 2 tsp Cumin
• Hot Sauce (to taste)
• Pre-cooked Chicken Strips (Optional)

Directions:

1. Heat beans over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and add cumin.
2. Chop fresh ingredients (spinach, avocadoes, tomatoes)
3. Combine!