My Plant-Based Family

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

Black Beans

Plant-Based Mexican Food Meal Plan

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You may think it is silly of me to have a Mexican Food Meal Plan. You would be right since we eat Mexican food most of the time. It’s just who we are. Our fresh fool supply is also extremely low since we haven’t been to the store in a while but I still have beans and grains along with a few tomatoes and jalapenos so all is well.

By the way, I hope you all had a great Easter! My husband and teen son were both out of town so our weekend wasn’t typical. We are all trying to get back into the swing of things.

Mexican Food Meal Plan

Breakfast

Some of these items don’t quite fit with out Mexican food theme but that is ok. I usually prefer a quick breakfast but I don’t mind combining a few things that are already cooked.

Lunch

You’ll notice most of these recipes use black beans. I cook a large batch to use in multiple recipes to save time.

Dinner

If I have enough leftovers I may not make all of these dishes. I’ll definitely make the first two because they make great leftovers and I can use them in other meals.

I may even try to work in my Taco Muffins!

Does a Mexican Food Meal Plan look like something you can get behind or do you have a different set of favorites? If you’ve tried some of these recipes I’d love to hear which are your favorites!

custom meal plan

Faux Cheezy Black Bean Quesadillas (Gluten-Free)

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backtoschool1 copyGraphics by Melodee Fiske

Looking for something for your kiddos lunch box? Look no further!

quesadillas Forget the boring sandwich and give these babies a try!

Faux Cheezy Black Bean Quesadillas

Ingredients

Do

  1. Spread beans on half of tortilla then add cheese sauce on top of beans.
  2. Fold in half then heat on griddle or in a skillet until brown.
  3. Cut into easy to hold triangles

Serve

We Loved these quesadillas! I served them with Mexican spiced quinoa, salsa, guacamole, and coconut milk plain yogurt. They are the perfect size for a lunch box and can be eaten quickly.

lunchbox copyGraphics by Melodee Fiske

What’s in your kid’s lunch box?

Unfried Black Beans

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I am soooo over refried beans! Who needs to add extra fat to beans anyway? Certainly not me! I have won over many people with my Unfried Beans made with pinto beans but they are a little to garlic-y for my husband so I decided to lighten up on the spices a bit. Also my 2 year old son (the one with multiple food allergies) has reactions to pinto beans but so far has been doing well with black beans.

This recipe is perfect for lunch boxes too! Use these beans in a burrito or as a delicious dip! My son loves taking beans and chips for lunch. I pair it with some red grapes and carrot sticks for a healthy lunch. See more of my Back to School posts here.

unfried black beans

Unfried Black Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt (optional)
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup water (only as needed, the Blendtec may require more water)

Do

  1. Put beans and spices in food processor or Blendtec. Process 15 to 20 seconds.
  2. Scrape down the sides as needed and process until beans are smooth, add water as needed.

Serve

These beans are incredible by themselves but I love them with Mexican Rice or wrapped up in a tortilla.

Tip: If you only have canned beans drain and rinse them, then make as instructed. Most cans only contain about 1 1/2 cups of beans so you may want to ease up on the spices and omit the salt entirely.

Coming tomorrow…Faux Cheezy Black Bean Quesadillas!

What is your favorite way to eat beans?

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Cilantro-Lime Infused Quinoa with Black Beans

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Are you a cilantro lover? I am. Some people HATE cilantro, I don’t get it.

If you hate cilantro you could leave it out of this dish and it would still taste amazing!

Quinoa and Black Beans

This is so good like this but it is amazing on a bed of greens or wrapped up in a tortilla.

I submitted this recipe to Pritikin’s Recipe of the Year Contest. To (view and) vote for this recipe just click here and share the recipe using the social media buttons below the picture on Pritikin’s website. Each “share” is a vote for me.

The deadline for voting is August 20th.

I really appreciate your vote!

Meal Plan Monday: Soup Week

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I don’t know about you but there is something about eating soup that really helps me feel nourished. I think it is because I eat a much better variety of veggies in soup that I wouldn’t eat if they were all cooked separately.

In January of 2012 I proclaimed a Soup Week. I’m really looking forward to this one because I have a few more recipes in my tool belt. I plan to make large pots of soup each night so I can have a nice selection in my freezer.

I won’t post a whole meal plan but you can get Breakfast Ideas here. You can also click on the Meal Plan Monday in the Categories section on the right. It will bring up past meal plans you can browse.

I know I always brag about living in Arizona where the weather is wonderful and it is; however lately I’ve been cold. Not the same kind of cold everyone else is experiencing but I’m a little spoiled so I’m having a hard time handling it. My answer: sweaters, coffee, and soup.

veggie broth mix

If you use canned broth or bullion these soups will be more expensive for you and possibly less healthy. I’d like to encourage you to give the Dry Broth Mix a try. It is so good and inexpensive. It takes minutes to mix up a batch in your food processor and it lasts for a long time.

Minestrone SoupMinestrone Soup! I made this last week for Healthy Cravings and we enjoyed the leftovers all weekend. We had a tense moment yesterday when we realized it was almost gone. We shared the last few cups of it then I made the next soup.

Green Chili Cilantro & Lime SOup

Green Chili Cilantro & Lime Soup! This soup is amazing! Truly. I’ll be sharing the recipe this week. I made a large pot last night. My boys didn’t love it but my husband and I did. We both had two large bowls and he took it to work for lunch. I also put some in the freezer. I have yet to get a good picture but I don’t want to wait to share this recipe.

Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Potato Soup! This is one of the easiest recipe ever! I may switch it to a busier day but I’ve really been craving potato soup. I’ll be adding more veggies to it though and perhaps more nutritional yeast. I get a look of feedback about this soup everyone seems to love it although you may want to add more seasonings especially if you attempt to make this without nutritional yeast. An immersion blender would make it smooth and creamy.

Taco Soup (2)Taco Soup! Very similar to the Enchilada Soup so you could take your pick. This soup is my favorite, I love it. If someone made this for me I’d become their best friend. It is also full of veggies and beans so you feel immensely satisfied.

Chickpea noodle soup Chickpea Noodle Soup! This is a new favorite in our house. I’ll be adding extra veggies this time depending on what is leftover. I use gluten-free noodles, I like these little shells or macaroni instead of long noodles because my boys can handle these easier but you can use any noodles you like.

Do you have a favorite soup? I love using fresh ingredients in my soup but some days I’m happy when I can throw a bunch of canned or frozen goods together and create a warm, delicious, and filling soup. Share your favorite soup in the comments!

Black Bean Soup for Two

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Normally when I cook anything I make enough for a small village. About 14 months ago there were 7 hungry tummies living under our roof. When our three teenagers moved to their mom’s house I had to completely change my style of cooking. That was pretty close to the same time I found out my youngest couldn’t handle gluten.

Right now we are back up to 5 mouths that are always hungry. I’ve been craving Black Bean Soup but I know my husband and I are the only ones who will eat it. My little guys probably would but this is a mess soup for little hands and I get tired of cleaning up messes, especially Black Bean Soup on my white tile dining room floor.

If you have kids with a little more spoon control this soup is mild enough for them. I made this with my food processor but you could make it without one, it would just take more knife wielding. 🙂

Black Bean Soup for Two

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked black beans (or two cans drained and rinsed)
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1-2 Peppers, I used a pepper from a friends garden but jalapeno or bell peppers are okay too
  • 1 1/2 cups water (or veggie broth)
  • 1 cube veggie bullion of using water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke (add more for a smokier flavor)
  • 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar

Do

  1. Process onions and garlic in food processor or finely mince. Add them to a medium-sized pot on medium heat, stirring regularly. If they begin to burn add a tiny bit of water or broth. Cook these until they are translucent and starting to brown.
  2. Peppers can be processed also or left in big chunks. If they are processed the soup will be spicier. I removed the seed and left peppers in big chunks for a mild soup.
  3. Add the beans (processed and whole), water (or broth) and spices to the pot and stir.
  4. Let soup simmer a few minutes then taste to adjust spices.
  5. Finally add liquid smoke and vinegar.

Serve

This soup makes about 4 cups but can be doubled for extra eaters. It would taste great with Mexican Rice or topped with fresh avocado or cilantro.

Are you enjoying the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo)? If you are participating let me know so I can see what you’ve been cooking.