New Inspiration!

Well, it's been a LONG while since I've written about anything here.  I've always felt like I need to be inspired to write and not just "blog" to blog, ya know?  Anyhow, you all have inspired me and here I am sharing again!

Last week, several people asked me to share the details about a recent meal that was a hit with my family!  When I say "hit" I mean people going back for seconds and even thirds!

I've got a cookbook that I've had for YEARS...decades actually.  It's called Fit-It and Forget-it Cookbook:  Feasting with your Slow Cooker by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllils Pellman Good.  The recipe I elected to tackle, because I had all of the ingredients on hand (except the ground beef), is called Taco Soup with Whole Tomatoes.  If you've got a copy of the cookbook or you plan to get one, it's on page 37.

The original recipe calls for 1lb of ground beef and a pack of dry taco seasoning.  These are the two ingredients I didn't have on hand, but I had the perfect substitutes for them and decided to give it a go!

I replaced 1 lb of ground beef with a 14 oz package of Extra Firm Tofu AND I used the homemade taco seasoning that I've been using since 2012 instead of running out to grab the "over sodium-ed" processed kind.

So, what are the recipes?  Let's start with the base recipe:

Taco Soup with Whole Tomatoes
14 oz package of extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup chopped onions
28 oz can whole tomatoes with juice
14 oz can kidney beans with juice
17 oz can corn with juice
8 oz can tomato sauce
Homemade Taco Seasoning doubled and separate
1-2 cups water
1 cup grated cheddar cheese for topping 
taco or corn chips or tortilla strips for topping
avocado and lime for topping

Homemade Taco Season Recipe (from MyPlantBasedFamily.com)

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Combine all seasoning ingredients and add to the extra firm tofu and onions while sautéing.

Combine all seasoning ingredients a 2nd time, minus 1 tsp salt, and add directly to crockpot.

1. Brown tofu and onions in skillet with seasoning as described above.
2. Add the whole tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, and tomato sauce directly to the slow cooker.
3. Combine all ingredients except cheese, chips, avocado, and lime in slow cooker.
4. Cover.  Cook on Low 4-6 hours.
5. Ladle into bowls.  Top with cheese, lime, avocado and serve with corn chips/tortilla strips.


The Fix-it and Forget-it Cookbook: Feasting with your Slow Cooker is now a revised edition.  So the page number I reference above may not be the same page number in the revised edition.

We used Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips the tri-color ones and Santa Fe Style ones.  In the future I'll stay away from the Santa Fe Style strips not because they were rather spicy, but because they were way too salty in my opinion and overpowered the flavor of the dish itself.  The Tri-Color strips have 15 mg of sodium per 2 Tbsp whereas the Santa Fe tortilla strips have 25 mg of sodium per  2 Tbsp!