Product Review: Cook Simple's Cowboy Chili Meal (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Non-GMO)

Product: Cook Simple's Cowboy Chili Meal 

I feel like I can hear the sound of the dinner bell at the chuckwagon ringing away with this review! I was first introduced to Cook Simple's Cowboy Chili last year when I received a box in a Taste Guru monthly box. I tried it and really enjoyed it. It was a simple healthy chili that could be made in about 20 minutes for a quick, healthy, and easily gluten-free dinner!

I've bought this boxed meal several times since, and I'm always amazed at the quality of the meal and how healthy it is for a boxed mix. The box comes with directions on the pack and a packaged mix of dried beans, spices, and vegetables. You add a can of diced tomatoes, 1 pound browned ground beef, and 2 1/2 cups of water and voila... dinner 20-30 minutes later! You could easily make it vegetarian by using another can of beans or garbanzos in place of the ground beef (I actually added some leftover garbanzo beans I had in the fridge last night!), and it's already dairy-free... which is rare option for packaged gluten-free foods.

And because I'm sensitive to a lot of tomatoes (I can handle small amounts) I actually use canned pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree instead of the tomatoes... you can't tell the difference! (And bonus fiber! woohoo!) As you will see below, for such a great tasting dish the ingredient list is very small and mainly consists of dried vegetables and beans!

Nutritional Info: 

• Calories: 140 per serving (as packaged, with 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef = 384 cals total)
• Total Fat: 0 grams (as packaged, with additional 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef = 17 grams total)
• Cholesterol: 0 milligrams (as packaged, with additional 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef = 77 milligrams total)
• Sodium: 85 milligrams (as packaged, with additional 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef = 160 milligrams total)
• Total Carbohydrates: 20 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 1 gram
• Sugars: 11 grams
• Protein: 1 gram (as packaged, with additional 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef = 22 grams total)

Ingredients:  

Red Beans*, Quinoa, Black Beans*, Tomato*, Onion*, Peppers*, Zucchini*, Chili Powder (chili peppers*, salt, spices, garlic*), Sea Salt, Spices, Spinach* 

* = Dried  (from Cooksimple.com)

DIY - Instant Quinoa Meal Mixes with Victoria's Gourmet Seasonings

When I first started using the different spice mixes of Victoria's Gourmet I truly had no idea how versatile they could be.

When my Dad was sick a few months ago, we had many meals with my step-mom Betty and one night she made an "instant" quinoa mix. I had no idea they made instant quinoa meals... and what a great idea! It's such a healthy "carb" with tons of protein and fiber and it cooks so quickly, it's perfect for weeknight meals. I looked for some of the instant meals when I got back home and couldn't find any at our local grocery store.

Then it dawned on me last night... I could make my own! With all of the different seasoning mixes that Victoria's Gourmet offers, it would be super easy to make my own quinoa mixes. Quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes, so all I would have to do is mix up 1 cup of dry (pre-rinsed variety) quinoa with 1-2 tablespoons of my favorite Victoria's Gourmet seasonings. Add quinoa and seasoning to a baggie or glass jar, seal and voila... an instant side dish or starter for a meal! How cute would that be as a Christmas gift? And so darn easy!

Here are just a few of the seasoning mixes from Victoria's Gourmet that I think would make a really delicious instant quinoa meal mix.

• Want a French inspired meal? Use 1-2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence with a unique blend of 7 different herbs including lemon, lavender, and rosemary. 
• Use 1-2 tablespoons of the Holiday seasoning mix if you want a traditional "stuffing" flavor! 
• For a quick kid-friendly side dish try adding 1 tablespoons Pizza seasoning blend + 2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese.  
• For a quick instant breakfast use 1 tablespoon of Pie Spices seasoning blend along with 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar per 1 cup of quinoa! 
• Enjoy middle eastern dishes? Try 1-2 tablespoons of the Moroccan seasoning blend with 1 cup of quinoa. 
• For an Asian flair try the Ginger Citrus seasoning blend. Still need more ideas? Check out all 22 seasoning blend varieties from Victoria's Gourmet. 

Last night I served a deli roast chicken with a side dish of green beans with almonds, baked sweet potatoes, and this instant quinoa with 1 tablespoon of Victoria's Gourmet Tuscan seasoning blend. It was delicious. Not overly powerful with just a hint of Italian flavors.

How to cook quinoa (pronounced keen-wah): 
Shared by Carrie of Gingerlemongirl.com
(This is the brand of quinoa I have been using, I love how easy it is to use since it is already pre-rinsed.) 

1. Add 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix of choice + 1 cup of dry pre-rinsed quinoa to a medium-sized pot. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil. 
2. Add 2 cups of water to the quinoa & seasoning. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn down to medium heat and simmer, covered for 15-18 minutes until the small spirals of the grain separate from the germ (little squiggles) and the grain is fluffy and light. 
3. Allow to cool for several minutes and serve. 
4. (You could also totally (yep... totally! lol) MAKE quinoa in a rice cooker! Easy Peasy! Just follow the instructions for rice!) 

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Please see my first review of Victoria's Gourmet seasoning sharing how I often make quick & easy weeknight meals using different VG seasoning blends! For my final review next week there will be a Victoria's Gourmet seasoning giveaway to one lucky winner! I'll share those details later, so stay tuned for how you can win a trio of spice/seasoning mixes from VG!

GLG Disclosure:  Victoria Gourmet provided me with free samples of all their seasoning blends, in order to do an online review if I chose to do so. This is not a sponsored post and I did not receive compensation. The opinions in this post are completely my own.