There used to be a restaurant chain here in the Midwest called Max & Erma’s that had delicious chicken tortilla soup. It was creamy, lightly spicy and so comforting on a cold day.

Sadly, I think the chain mostly went out of business a few years ago, and the only one still around is at the airport, I think.

This Crockpot Taco Soup is inspired by, but quite a bit different than that restaurant soup. My version is a little lighter (less creamy) and uses ground beef instead of chicken.

Unlike many other crock pot soup recipes out there, this one doesn’t just have a dull, one-note flavor. Deeply browned ground beef, tomatoes, two types of beans, green chiles and lots of seasoning give this soup layers of comforting flavor.

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My first foray into eating meatless meals was when I was in culinary school. But not actually in class, I mean when I was at home.

As I had quit my full time job to pursue a culinary education, my husband and I didn’t exactly have a lot of disposable income at the time (no crab stuffed salmon recipe for us, unless I made it at school and got to bring it home!).

So, we started eating vegetarian meals as a way to save money during those years, because meat is expensive!

But over time, we got so used to eating these mostly bean-centric meals, that it didn’t really feel like we were giving up anything, or trying to eat cheaply. It just tasted good (oatmeal for dinner and vegetables lasagna are surprisingly craveable meals). And, it’s a habit we’ve continued ever since.

For us, the key to a delicious and filling vegetarian meal is loading up on fiber, usually from lentils or beans. With lentils, we love vegan lentil curry and lentil ragu over spaghetti noodles.

For beans, we usually grab black beans and make vegetarian fajitas. The other black bean recipe that we make time and time again are these Black Bean Meatballs.

With a simple list of ingredients and a quick prep time, these black bean balls can be eaten on their own, tossed with marinara sauce and served over noodles, or even incorporated into a salad.

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As a family of three, we almost always have leftovers.

Leftover dinner, leftover baked goods, leftover ingredients. Since almost all recipes everywhere (including a lot of recipes on this blog, even) are written for four to eight servings, we always have an extra helping for that fourth person that isn’t at our table.

And honestly, we love it. We love being a family of three, happily eating our leftovers. It makes lunch the next day (at least for one of us) an autopilot meal, like microwaving the last slice of vegetarian quiche. Sometimes it means we can have mashed potato cakes with our weekend brunch.

With some meals, like a breakfast charcuterie board or cottage cheese breakfast bowls, it’s super easy to just adapt the quantities to what we need.

But with things like baked goods, it gets a little trickier. A batch of cornbread meant for two people won’t quite be enough for the three of us, but with a bigger recipe, we’re left with extra. Or sometimes we have extra after making chorizo stuffing.

Leftover cornbread, just on it’s own, is not my favorite. So today, I’m sharing the leftover cornbread breakfast casserole I’ve created to repurpose it into something new and delicious.

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Why you’ll love this Slow Cooker Burrito Chicken Bowl

• You can control the ingredients, making it a bit healthier than takeout if you want.
• Perfect for meal prep lunches, or a make-ahead dinner for a busy weeknight.
• Customize with whatever toppings your family likes best.

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I’ve already told you guys about my nostalgic love for fajitas in my fajitas veggies post.

While those chipotle fajita veggies are great wrapped into a tortilla with steak, chicken or my (or even included on a fajita bar), I often eat them for lunch, paired with beans in these Vegetarian Fajitas.

It may sound a little boring based on the recipe title, but I can promise you, these fajitas for vegetarians are anything but boring.

I have a trick to make canned beans a little more interesting, and a dreamy, creamy sauce that will make you think you’re at a restaurant.

Grab a lemon margarita and let’s get into it, shall we?

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This Cornbread Salad is sure to stand out at a potluck!

If you’re heading to a potluck but you’re sure all the old standbys – potato salad, pasta salad, fruit salad, etc. – will already be represented in abundance, this Layered Cornbread Salad is your new back-pocket recipe.

Like the classic choices, it can still be made in advance and served cold, which is what everybody wants for a party or potluck.

But with the layers of colors and flavors, it’s certain to stand out on the buffet table for all the right reasons.

This recipe is made with fresh, easy-to-find ingredients, and no packaged ranch dressing mix. The bright flavors of chorizo, lime and veggies will have everybody at the party wanting a second scoop!

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While #TacoTuesday seems to be an ongoing trend on social media, the truth is, taco night is usually Saturday in our house. I’ve been making and eating homemade tacos on Saturday nights for most of my life, and if my husband and I are home on Saturday for dinner, we’re almost always going to be making tacos.

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OK, so before I even talk to you guys about this recipe, please know that my husband is trying to make the word “ravilachos” happen.

He doesn’t think “ravioli nachos” is catchy enough, and he just really, really wants everybody to call these “ravilachos.” Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way . . .

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Sometimes I think the whole world is starting to come around to this snacks-for-dinner situation that I love so much.

I mean, take these mini bell peppers, for example. I didn’t start seeing them in stores until about a year ago, but now I see them at almost every store I go to.

I’m pretty sure they’re MADE for little snacks like this, because really, what else would you use them for? It doesn’t make sense to just chop them up for salad or  slow cooker chicken burrito bowl; they’re too special (and cute).

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I have a food blogger friend who posted a great recipe in the middle of last year’s brutal winter. She ended up getting a snarky comment about her use of frozen vegetables in the recipe.

Well, this other blogger and I live in roughly the same part of the country, so we know what sort fresh produce is available to us in the winter months (thus, we both laughed off this comment).

I mean, last weekend, I went to the farmer’s market. Granted, I got there a little late in the morning, but every single farmer’s table was selling carrots. JUST carrots.

That’s all that was available, and it’s only the beginning of November!

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