Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip

For the past year, Rob and I have been working to cut down on our meat consumption.

Ok. I have been working on cutting down on our meat consumption. Rob is a great sport and has come along on this journey with me and since he knows how much I love to do the meal planning, he has been extremely supportive of the 2-3 times a week meatless meals. While this might not seem like a lot of meatless during the week, for people who used to eat meat every single night and usually for lunch, it is a big shift.

Now, we are consistently eating vegetarian lunches and no meat for dinner just about every other night. What we can both absolutely agree on is how much better we feel now that we are eating less meat. Both of us are at a consistent weight, do not feel bloated in our stomach or hands (weird one, I know), and have more steady energy throughout the day (which is basically an impossible feat with two kids under the age of three). We do not feel as uncomfortably full after meals and our food budget is much happier. It is amazing how you cannot realize how bad you feel until you start feeling so much better. Not to say that we were feeling awful, but we have certainly noticed a positive change in our limited meat eating.

I want to note here that when I talk about meat, I am talking about chicken and turkey. We have not eaten red meat for years (except for very rare occasions or the odd meal out – maybe 2-3 times a year). Fish is a weekly player in our meals in the form of salmon, cod, or Mahi Mahi. Costco makes eating fish regularly really easy with their prices and frozen options.

When it comes to eating meatless meals, I am always on the hunt for nutritious meatless meals that go beyond the giant salad and pasta line of things. We have perfected a few meatless meals like:

• Quesadillas (with corn and beans)
• Rice Bowls
• Dinner Egg Bakes
• Quinoa Lunch Bowls
• Grilled Cheese with Soup
• Chia Seed Pudding (more for breakfast, but a great eggless option)

After William was born, one of our friends brought over dinner in a variation of this dish. Rob and I were both floored with how delicious it was and how much Zoey just adored it. To the tune of Zoey asking for more quinoa for the remainder of the week.

Since then, Rob and I have perfected this Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip to our liking. With fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, and fire roasted corn, we love the kick and ease of putting this meal together. Topped with sour cream, avocado (which we go through by the bag from Costco around here), a bit of cheese, and some tortilla chips and we have a fun-to-eat meal that satisfies and qualifies that meatless goal.

I will put in the disclaimer that anytime you give a toddler the opportunity to dip a chip into something like quinoa, you are going to end up with a giant mess. Thankfully, I barely do any of the sweeping around here, so bring it on!

The Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip is an easy one to meal prep as well since you can make your quinoa ahead of time and then add the canned ingredients when you are ready to eat them. We usually make 2 cups of quinoa and are able to get a full two nights out of it plus one or two lunches. It is the ideal dish for a busy week or a busy night and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand in your pantry.

This Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip is also super inexpensive to make. If you are becoming an extreme couponer like me (though I am trying to hard to avoid the stock pile, which is so tough when you can get toothpaste for free!), then you can most likely coupon your way to very cheap or almost free ingredients. Perfect for tight budgets or if you are trying to feed a crowd for less.