I love soup, stew, and chili. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, I’ll enjoy a super hearty soup any day. These foods are also amazing for meal prepping because it’s easy to make A LOT for relatively cheap. If you have a big family, I suggest finding recipes that are super tasty, make and freeze them. Typically, I freeze half of what my crockpot makes and keep the other half in the fridge for the week. Think about it this way, you don’t have to worry about your lunch or your kid’s lunch if you embrace recipes that yield lots of leftovers.

I recently switched to a pescetarian lifestyle. What does that mean? I don’t eat beef, poultry, or pork. However, I do eat eggs and will drink whole milk occasionally. Personally, I like almond milk better and have recently found a love for flax milk, but that’s beside the point. Nothing is healthy for you in excess, so I’m especially careful with how much fish I eat during the week. No one needs mercury poisoning in their life. With that being said, I’ve been experimenting with vegetarian options that are hearty and offer a lot of protein. Since chili was my favorite bulk meal to make, I thought about what I could do to drop the meat but make sure it was satisfying and balanced. This is what I came up with:

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 Bell Peppers (any color, I used orange)

5 celery stalks

1 red onion (or onion of your choice)

2 cups of baby carrots

1 head of garlic

3 15oz cans of beans (I used garbanzo, pinto, and kidney)

2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups of Quinoa

Salt & Pepper

Chili Powder

Oregeno

Paprika

Cumin

Cayenne (optional)

Greek Yogurt

Shredded Cheese

Avocado

 

To start, mince the entire head of garlic. Add 2TBSP of EVOO to your crockpot, and then add the garlic. Let soften. Crockpot should be on low at this point.

Chop the celery, onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Don’t worry about uniformity. Make it a chunky, home-style chop and add all of them into the crockpot. Add two more TBSPs of EVOO, sprinkle with salt and pepper; stir so that everything is coated.

Next, Add the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 3 cans of beans. Stir to combine all ingredients. Then add 2 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of Quinoa. Stir to combine.

Lastly, add 3 TBSP of chili powder, 1 TBSP Oregano, 2 TBSP Paprika, 1.5 TBSP Cumin, 1 TBSP Thyme and a dash of Cayenne. Stir into the mixture thoroughly.

Place crockpot on high for one hour, and then switch it back to low for one hour, stirring occasionally.

When it’s ready, scoop out two cups into a bowl. Top with sliced avocado, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

If you want a southwest flair, swap out one bell pepper for 2 jalapenos, use 2 cans of black beans, and swap out the last can of beans for a can of corn.

 

*A typical chili seasoning includes celery salt, onion salt, and garlic powder, but because I used fresh celery, onion, and garlic, I omitted it from the seasoning. Play around with it though! I always suggest seasoning something to taste, but not going overboard with the salt.

 

If you make this, let me know on social media! Snap a picture, tag me and #ChiliRemix!

 

Here’s another one of my chili recipes! This is more traditional and uses a meat replacer.