My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

Mexican Food

Quinoa “Taco Meat”

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So we all know I’m not really talking about meat here but after all of the press about pink slime I don’t want to us the works “taco filling” because that sounds too much like filler, BLECK! 

I’m talking about seasoning up nutrient dense quinoa. If you’ve read my blog for long you know I’m a fan of quinoa. I buy a big bag at Costco for under $10. I like to use it anywhere someone would typically use ground beef so, burgers, tacos, nacho’s, and my husband LOVES it with cinnamon for breakfast (think oatmeal style). I’ve also used it in place of rice or other grains. It is also a gluten free food for those so inclined.

Quinoa “Taco Meat”

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp granulated onion
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin 
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce

Do

  1. Stir all seasonings into quinoa. We like a lot of spice so feel free to pair this down if you’re not crazy about a lot of seasoning. 
  2. Stir in tomato sauce, I happened to be out so I used about 2 tsp of tomato paste and a little water. 
  3. If seasonings are not mixing well add a little water or veggie broth. 

Serve

Last night we had this on Nachos and my three teenagers, or as I usually say teenyboppers, loved it. Other places to eat this would obviously be tacos, burritos, and taco salads. I think for lunch I’ll have some on a baked potato as inspired by Laura’s Taco Potatoes over at Heavenly Homemakers. Of course her recipe has meat but I was still inspired, especially since I still have some fresh salsa and pinto beans to add to my hot potato.

Another favorite way to make this is to mix it 1:1 with cooked lentils. I love lentils in place of tradition ground beef recipes. I was planning on cooking it that way last night but alas I forgot to cook the lentils. I know they cook very quickly but since my big kids are here I’d rather visit than cook (or have an extra pan to wash).

Do you eat quinoa? What is your favorite way to eat it? Since we love Mexican food almost any new thing I try has Mexican flare, I know I should branch out but it’s hard to resist those familiar spices.

Portobello Fajitas

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I do not like mushrooms! I’ll eat them if the flavor isn’t too powerful but I prefer not to. Enter portobello mushrooms, I have been won over. Today I made another batch of portobello fajitas, a pasta bake containing portobello’s, and I’m baking some portobello slices now as well.

I have heard a lot of people commenting about mushrooms being a good stand-in for meat but as a former mushroom hater I wasn’t having it. Now I can see it! I’m reformed and embrace the mushroom, especially served like this.

Portobello Fajitas

Ingredients

  • 1 Portobello Mushroom
  • 1/2 an onion cut into slices
  • 1 bell pepper cut into slices
  • 1 cup veggie broth
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • a generous shake of salt
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Do

  1. Remove the stem and slice mushrooms. (If you are making Portobello steaks you can leave just remove the stem).
  2. Mix the remaining ingredients together and allow the the mushroom and veggie slices to soak in the marinade for 30 minutes or so.
  3. Broil the mushroom and veggie slices for 4-5 minutes then flip and broil for 4-5 more minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Serve

These are great served in a warm tortilla. I love them even more with fresh guacamole and salsa but they are good plain too. You could also top a salad with these and even add roasted corn! YUM!

Does this look like a steak fajita or what? Have you embraced the shroom and if so how do you like it?

Refried Beans???

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Refried beans, well not exactly, unfried beans, beans sans grease (lard or extra fat). Let’s just call them unfried beans.

Oil-Free Refried Beans

When my husband and I first got together he did all of the cooking. He taught me how to cook Mexican food and when he would make refried beans he would put a little oil in the pan then add the cooked beans then smash them with a potato masher. Once I started doing all of the cooking I omitted the oil. He didn’t notice unless I would say something. I then got lazier and would just put the cooked beans into my Magic Bullet to save all of the work of mashing them.

Oil-Free Refried Beans

Now that I have a food processor I have a super simple recipe for Refried, er Unfried Beans.

Unfried Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked pinto beans (black beans would work too)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • small amounts of water
  • hot sauce (optional)

Do

  1. Add cooked beans and all of the spices to the food processor and process.
  2. Add small amounts of water until the desired consistency is reached.
  3. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.

Serve

These beans were really good. I’d even say they rival any canned refried beans that are seasoned. They were quick and easy. This was the perfect amount of beans for my husband and my nachos. If you are making bean burritos or just beans to accompany something else make more, this recipe is easy to double or triple.

Did you know that beans and unfried beans freeze well? You can make a big batch then package the whole beans into smaller serving sizes to freeze for later. I like to use a quart size freezer bag because I can lay it flat. I’ve also made large amounts of unfried beans to use when we had company stay with us. They could make nacho’s, burritos, or a host of other things quickly.

Do you cook your beans? You will save a lot of money if you do. Read my post on “Plan for Success” if this is uncharted territory for you, in it, I detail how to cook beans.

Also, check out my Unfried Black Bean recipe!

 

Jalapeno Hummus

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Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus has been a game changer for us after adopting a plant-based diet. Let me explain…

This Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus is a quick and easy plant-based recipe! This oil-free hummus is the ultimate dip for veggies.

My husband used to be anti-hummus. If I bought hummus he would laugh, and I’m not talking about a chuckle, a full on belly laugh. This is the same kind of laugh he would have had 6 months ago if I would have told him we were going to stop eating animals. Do you get it now? He though it was udderly ridiculous, just like so many other things that are now common place for us.  

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

After we changed our diet it was hard to find a good plant-based meal when eating out. I took him to Pita Jungle and introduced him to Jalapeno Hummus. That is the day he stopped laughing at hummus. 

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

We ate Pita Jungle’s hummus on many date nights, we would call in a to go order while running errands, and we even bought a huge Costco vat of Jalapeno Hummus. There are two problems with eating store/restaurant bought hummus. It is more costly than you can make at home and it is not as healthy as you eat at home. 

I finally decided to stop the insanity, and all of the extra calories and fat from oil-YUCK, and make it myself. 

Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus

Yield: 2 cups

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

This Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus is a quick and easy plant-based recipe! This oil-free hummus is the ultimate dip for veggies.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained but save liquid
  • Juice from 1 lime (lemon can be used)
  • a few cloves of garlic (more or less to your preference)
  • 2 jalapeno peppers (remove seeds first for a less spicy hummus)
  • a handful of cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  1. Dump drained chickpeas, lime juice, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro into a blender or food processor.
  2. Add just enough liquid to allow everything to process smoothly.
  3. Taste test, add extra peppers or spices until the flavor is just right.
  4. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Notes

This recipe is perfect for dipping veggies, chips, crackers, or adding to your favorite salads, sandwiches or bowls.

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© Holly Yzquierdo

Serve with fresh veggies, pita bread, tortilla chips, in a wrap or as a salad dressing.

I didn’t love this right after I made it, but my husband did. I put it in the fridge and tried it the next day and it was amazing. AMAZING! 

I’ll be making this again this week. It is unprocessed and delicious and I can’t imagine a better way to snack on raw veggies. 
If you like this you’ll LOVE my other delicious, oil-free, plant-based dips!

Enchilada Soup

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Back in the days before I transitioned to a plant-based diet I made a really savory Chicken Enchilada Soup. It was soooo good. People would come from miles around, OK my friend Sarah would drive a few miles to eat this soup. I love this soup!!!

Plant-Based gluten-free Enchilada Soup.

The problem was it contained a ton of not so healthy ingredients. I was determined to make it healthy without compromising the flavor. 

Enchilada Soup

Enchilada Soup
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
  • 6 cups veggie broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cups cooked beans (I use 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned our fine)
  • 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • salt, pepper and nutrional yeast to taste (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring veggie broth to a simmer in a large pot.
  2. Add onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, corn and rice.
  3. Add tomato sauce and let simmer.
  4. Let this cook until onions are translucent and flavors have had a chance to meld. I like to let it simmer for an hour or so.
  5. Season with chili powder, cumin and any other seasonings.

This is especially good with crushed tortilla chips and nutritional yeast added to the individual bowl. If you like to use a faux sour cream add a dollop to your bowl. Try not to eat right out of the pot when you’re putting leftovers away. That is just bad manners. This made enough soup for maybe 6 bowls, but you will want seconds. Double (or triple) the recipe for a large family.  

This soup is very forgiving. If you are missing an ingredient go ahead and made it. I make it all the time but when I’m out of corn or green chilies it still tastes great. 

My husband kept going on and on about how great this soup is, how it reminds him of soup his mom made when he was a kid, how amazing I am; OK I threw that last part in there but it is not uncommon for him to say that. 

Enchilada Soup

Don’t  you just want to dive in that bowl and swim around? Well you would if you tasted it. 

If you love this soup be sure to try it’s grain-free counterpart, Taco Soup!

Lentil Tacos

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I don’t know about you but I love tacos! In my mind, Taco Tuesday is a real thing.

Most kids love tacos, and I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t consider tacos to be a family favorite.

Lentil Tacos are a family favorite! Win over friends and family with these vegan tacos.

This page contains affiliate links. 

I first started using lentil in tacos before we went plant-based. We had three growing (read hungry) kids at home who were in elementary school and we were on a tight budget. I started adding cooked lentils to our ground beef to make it go further. My kids barely noticed the lentils.

That moved started my love of lentils. They are a low fat and high fiber food with 9 grams of protein for a half cup serving. That’s basically 2 tacos for me.

Additionally, lentils are inexpensive and very easy to cook, perfect for beginners.

You can buy dry lentils in the bean section of any grocery store. They will cost less than $2 per pound for conventional lentils. I almost always buy brown lentils. I like buying them from Amazon because I can get a better variety. This kind cost more but they are non-gmo and you can trace which field they were grown in. Pretty cool!

Lentil Tacos are a family favorite! Win over friends and family with these vegan tacos.

UPDATE: If you have an Instant Pot check out my Instant Pot Lentil Tacos!

Lentil Tacos

This vegan recipe is so good even the carnivores will be asking for more.

The tacos can be made to each family members preference. My husband and I enjoy ours with lettuce, lentils, guacamole, and fresh salsa. If I had been making burritos or nachos I would have made a dairy-free cheeze sauce and possibly added more beans.

Lentil Tacos
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry lentils (rinsed)
  • taco seasoning (chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin) to taste
  • 2 oz tomato sauce
  • lettuce
  • salsa
  • guacamole
  • tortillas
Instructions
  1. Cook lentils in a medium sauce pan with 2 cups of water.
  2. Cook them for 15 minutes or until they are soft.
  3. If there is still water in the pan drain them.
  4. Add taco seasoning to taste and the tomato sauce.
  5. Stir and enjoy.