Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans and Butternut Squash
Planning to start eating well again (…next week) so in preparation I decided to make a bunch of slow cooker stuff that (I hope!) freezes well! I got this recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron and did pretty much everything she did, except:
– Didn’t drain or rinse the beans – seriously never do! It’s such delicious and nutritious stuff (not to be confused with bean soaking water, which is disgusting and will lead to much unpleasantness)
– Didn’t use enchilada sauce, instead referenced this Food Network recipe and added:
— Coconut oil (see below)
— Chili powder (although not probably as much as they say)
— Veggie bouillon and water (instead of chicken stock) (also did this for the main recipe)
— A bunch of oregano and cumin
– Didn’t use taco seasoning, instead referenced this Food Renegade recipe and added an unmeasured amount of:
— Onion powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper (and chili powder, oregano, and cumin – called for in the enchilada sauce)
– Used way more garlic than she did (although didn’t have any garlic powder, which is an ingredient in taco seasoning, so maybe it evens out)
– Used coconut oil instead of cooking spray (also extra because oil is an ingredient in enchilada sauce)
Anyway, I think in the end it turned out well! So, happy healthy eating to me!!
This looks awesome… Made a chili similar to this recently. And the slow cooker is my BWF (best winter friend.) And funny… I just cooked a ton of black beans for recipes this week and have everything else the recipe calls for except the enchilada sauce. But I have all the ingredients to make my own. But that looks like a lot of enchilada sauce… Almost 5 cups worth! Did you use that much, Chameleon Rae?
Hi Laura!!
I added 5 cups of liquid total (including in place of the broth) and I was worried that was a too much when it was done – it looked like it was going to be a soup! But the quinoa kept soaking it up, so in the end it was fine. Maybe I would add 4 cups instead? But otherwise I just added in a bunch of spices and tomato paste in place of the enchilada sauce. I’m sure it doesn’t taste exactly how it was supposed to, but it does taste good!! Let me know how it goes!