Everyone loves a good Taco Night! Whether it is "🌮 Tuesday" in your household or happy hour with some margaritas at a local restaurant, there is nothing quite like Mexican food! I am so excited to share with you this taco soup. Take my word for it, it is SOOOO YUMMY! Top it with some cheese, cilantro, greek yogurt, and tortilla strips for a nice crunch.
We are in the heat of summer right now, so a soup might not be what you had in mind. But honestly, this soup is so refreshing! Plus, it is gluten free and vegetarian. Shake up your dinner plans for tonight with this delicious soup! Enjoy!
As a part of my summer externship for the Culinary and Lifestyle Medicine Track at WVU, my classmate Meg and I were assigned the task of creating a dinner for a family of four for UNDER $20. The description of our family of four was...
"Father with type 2 diabetes and a creatinine of 2.0. Mother with A1c of 6.0. Two children (age 2 and 5 y.o.) who are both at the > 85 percentile of BMI for their age."
We took into account all of the medical conditions of the family and decided to make a soup that was low in carbs but high in protein and fiber. We went with a Mexican flavor because we felt it would be easy to adjust to every family member's taste. Plus the children can personalize their meal with a variety of toppings.
I figured this recipe would be an easy way to learn a little about reading a nutrition label. Below is the nutrition label for this soup. It makes six servings, with 480 calories per serving.
This meal contains 65 g total carbohydrates with high nutritional values. Fiber is listed under the carbohydrate section. The fiber content of this meal is almost 50% of the daily value. The daily fiber intake for adults should be 25-30 grams. The fiber in this meal comes from the black beans, tomatoes, and corn. Fiber comes in two types, both soluble and insoluble fibers. Soluble fibers are helpful in lowering blood cholesterol and maintaining blood glucose levels. Insoluble fibers are important for digestive health by reducing constipation, improving laxation, and increasing bowel transit time. Fiber helps to keep you full and regular! Everyone needs fiber.
Because of the diabetes and pre-diabetes in the adults, we kept the carbohydrates low. The CDC recommends that women eat 45-60 grams of carbs per meal while men eat 60-75 grams of carbs per meal. These values may vary depending on the patient's activity level. It is important to remember that foods like fruits and vegetables are full of sugars and carbohydrates. So when counting carbs, remember that many foods contain sugars, not just grains and breads!
On new nutrition labels, there is a row for added sugars under the carbohydrates. Added sugars are exactly what they sound like -- sugars added to foods that do not come naturally from the product. Note that there are ZERO ADDED SUGARS in this recipe! So all of the sugars come naturally from the ingredient list. Added sugars are heavily present in processed foods. I try my best to purchase foods with little to no added sugars. Added sugars are hidden in many yogurts, salad dressings, and granola bars. The new nutrition labels make it easier to spot them!
Protein is a very important part of the diet for both growing children and the elderly. It might sound odd that protein is needed by older adults, but it is true! They need protein in their diet as their muscles start to waste and thin. Protein is essential for muscle growth and cellular structures. This meal contains HALF of the daily recommended amount of protein in one single serving. Did you I fail to mention that this meal achieves high levels of protein WITHOUT MEAT? Yes, it does! The protein content comes from the black beans and quinoa.
Why did we make this meal meatless?
Normal creatinine levels for a male are 0.6-1.2 mg/dL. The father of the family had a creatinine level of 2.0. Creatinine is a waste product produced by the kidney as it processes protein. A high serum creatinine generally indicates that the kidneys are not working well. It can increase temporarily if one is dehydrated, has a low blood volume, takes certain medications, or eats a large amount of meat. Eating cooked meats has been shown to increase creatinine levels because heat converts creatine to creatinine before the body has time to process it. We decided to omit meat in attempt to lower serum creatinine by dietary interventions and avoid temporary spikes in serum creatinine. We wanted the whole family to try a meatless meal for dinner for the health of the father!
Finally, affordability.
We used the Kroger app to determine the cost of our meal. Our budget was $20, assuming that the family had some olive oil and spices in the pantry. The total came to $17.77, including toppings such as greek yogurt, cilantro, tortilla strips, and cheese. Many of the ingredients can be found in the pantry and frozen sections. My advice is to buy the low sodium versions of every ingredient, especially the canned ones. Be sure to rinse the black beans to remove extra salt.
Overall, this is a great meal when you are in a last minute decision for dinner. Just pull the ingredients from your pantry and freezer. It can be made on the stove in 50 minutes or cooked for hours in the crock pot. It is pretty simple and makes 6 generous portions! It might become a family favorite, as everyone can customize their soup with toppings!
We had so much fun with this project! We tested the soup out on some friends, and it was loved by everyone! It is a thicker soup with a "chili-like" consistency. Go easy on the cayenne pepper if spicy is not your flavor of choice. It has a high protein content WITHOUT MEAT. By omitting the cheese and yogurt toppings, this meal is suitable for vegans. It is also GLUTEN FREE and utilizes quinoa, which is a whole grain.
I hope you enjoy the soup that we created. Let me know if you try it out!
Quinoa and Black Bean Taco Soup
Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 12 oz. package frozen mixed peppers and onions
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 14 oz. can of vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 15.25 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 12 oz. package of frozen sweet corn
Tortilla strips
Shredded Mexican cheese
Plain Greek yogurt
Cilantro, chopped
Directions:
Mince the garlic.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat for one minute. Add frozen onions and bell peppers plus garlic. Stir occasionally or until veggies are softened.
While veggies are cooking, rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear. Drain the beans.
Once veggies have softened, add the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin. Stir until flavors are combined.
Add in the quinoa, vegetable broth, and 1 cup water. Bring soup to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the black beans and corn. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes, or until quinoa has softened and flavors have blended.
Serve taco soup topped with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, and/or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
To make this recipe in a Crock-Pot, combine all ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, greek yogurt, and cilantro.
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