Mexican Quinoa: a vegan lunch

Not too long ago I tossed together some ingredients I had lying around and created this:

It's so good ya'll.

These are my criteria when choosing a recipe.

-use ingredients that lie around

-must be quick

-must be simple

-must taste good

-must feed whole family as one dish

{basically,uncomplicated}

And actually since I made this up it was even easier. I didn't have to go back and forth from my laptop to the counter making sure I was getting everything right. I just thought about the flavor I wanted (Mexican) and gathered up everything I had on hand that I thought matched.

I started with a quinoa base.

Cooked it according to package directions. Rinsed some red kidney beans and tossed those together with the quinoa along with lime juice,California Dreamin (a Pensey spice...which is basically a mixture of Mexican spices),garlic,cilantro, avocado slices,and some chopped,fresh jalapeno peppers.

{please eat this}

it's the bomb diggity

Sloppy Joes:Hold The Pickles {Vegan Dinner}

Vegan?

Yes,Vegan. 

Here,I'll show you.

{cook:brown lentils}

{sautee: onion and red bell pepper}

{meanwhile}

In our pantry we have a bag of brown lentils mixed with rice that the kids play with. Usually they put it into a glass baking pan and roll cars around in it,but recently Camille has taken up 'cooking' and so I gave her some old yellow split peas and the rice/lentil combo along with some measuring spoons,cups, and bowls and let her cook freely at one counter so I could cook peacefully at the other. She made this.

{add canned tomatoes,tomato paste,ketchup,and this guy}

{pretty}

{oh dear}

{add these friends and some sugar as well,shhh}

{coming along}

{still occupied}

{not focused but still cute}

{mix together}

{tiny buns}

{necessary}

{I like the sweet pickles,but I'm the only one}

{wala: vegan sloppy joes}

No one complained. 

Victory? 

They didn't ban them from the 'make again list' though Clara did declare that 

"Mine has too much slop!"

I found real instructions here. Though I don't generally follow real instructions too closely,you might want to.

Enjoy!

Our Newest Addition

Look at him!

 Seven and a half weeks and one ear is starting to stand up!

His name is Claus (rhymes with house) Sebastian and he is a lot of work but it's about time we got a pup around here (according to the kids).

I don't really know what else to say. I'm not really a dog person but I kind of like him. Just as long as I don't have to touch him (too much).

{vegan dinner}

{start here}

{chop,sautee}

{season}

{add this}

{it's not this}

{it's this}

{mix in beans and rice}

{add toppings}

{enjoy}


{notes:}

I found this recipe here via pinterest. I tweaked it to add the meatless ground. I don't think it necessarily needs it,but I just found it on super mega sale and wanted to try it. Also we used the salsa as a topping instead of mixing it in. I used my own blend of seasonings because that's what I had on hand. Whole foods for dinner.

{Imagine that}