Simply pour, stir, cover and wait for the freshest, easiest and most delicious Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa (Dairy-free, Vegan, Gluten-free).
[Recipe Updated 3/26/19]- It has been a rough 5 days! Our sweet 3.5 yr old Poppy has been battling a stomach virus and now an ear infection. Then Beany got a nasty cold, and I spent a day sick in the middle of that. Several trips to the doctor and the ER later, we are trying to get healthy. No one really feels like eating much, and there is defininltey no cooking happening. Instead the hubs and I have been munching on this comforting protein packed freezer favorite! With some chips, hot sauce and guac… it tastes heavenly.
I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for a long long time guys. My main hold up was that I used to make it on the stove top. Which was fine, but I wanted to make it in a way that is even easier since our life will soon be flipped upside down with a new baby.
Enter my friend Mr. Slow Cooker.
My first misconception about the slow cooker used to be that it’s mainly good for winter meals. And although it does make some pretty awesome cold weather meals, the slow cooker can do so much more. My second misconception was that Mr. Slow Cooker wasn’t useful in the summer months. So it would sit on a shelf in my kitchen collecting dust.
Third is the misconception that the slow cooker is always for meat heavy dishes. Nope wrong again. Seriously I don’t know where I got these assumptions, but was I wrong wrong wrong.
As I’ve read and tested more and more recipes, I’ve come to find out that the slow cooker is actually an awesome summer appliance to use. It doesn’t make your kitchen as hot as leaving the oven on, and you don’t have to labor over a stove top either!
Also the slow cooker is extra awesome at making a variety of meals from breakfast to dinner, with or without meat.
Today’s recipe is one I crave often. Recently, I’ve made it for friends with new babies and honestly I can’t wait to have myself in a few months post having the new baby. My plan is to make a big batch and freeze it into portions of 2.5 (for the hubs, me and our tot). Perfect for an easy nutritious dinner when we are all tired from lack of sleep!
My Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa has it all! It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and so good for you, that you’ll wonder how it taste so good! Now with that said, if you want can tolerate dairy and want a little meat, I added a variation to add both chicken, cheese and sour cream in the notes section of the recipe 😁 No matter how you make this, it’s so good!
Prep time is 5 minutes and basically involves a little chopping and opening a few cans. So even the worse cook in your family can handle this.
Then just let the slow cooker do it’s magic.
TA-DA!
Add on some toppings and ba da bing!
An insanely satisfying Mexican meal ready to be devoured with some crunchy tortilla chips.
Equipment
- [amazon text=Programmable Slow Cooker&asin=B003UV8L6Q]
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped (not green)*
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 15-oz can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies)
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 4-oz chopped green chilies
- Juice of 1 small lime
- 1 avocado, mashed or diced
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- Shredded cheese
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Salsa
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Combine the chopped onion, bell pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, green chilies, lime juice, salt and quinoa in a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the quinoa is fully cooked. Stir a few times as it's cooking so it doesn't stick to the crockpot.
- Serve with avocado and chopped green onions for a vegan, dairy-free option. And maybe some crunchy tortilla chips.
- If you can tolerate dairy and are not vegan, add grated cheese, and sour cream. For even more protein, brown 1 lb of ground chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Place browned chicken in the slow cooker and follow the rest of the recipe as instructed. Or add in cooked shredded chicken.
Notes
This is a vegan and dairy-free recipe. However if you want to add chicken, simply brown 1 lb of ground chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Place browned chicken in the slow cooker and follow the rest of the recipe as instructed.
If you want to add dairy, feel free to add 1 cup of cheese to the recipe. ½ cup mixed into the quinoa bake while it cooks and the other half over top. Also sour cream makes a great topping!
This recipe will save in the fridge for 4-5 days. And it will save frozen for 3 months. Simply thaw overnight and reheat in the microwave.
Recipe slightly modified from Real Food Whole Life.
Originally posted 2017-03-26 13:43:00.
Sunni says
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