20-Minute Southwestern Vegan Crispy Tender Skillet

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pinnacle Foods & Boulder Brands. The opinions and text are all mine.

A few years ago, if someone told me that plant-based eating was easy and delicious, I would’ve literally laughed in their face! Like most people, I thought that adapting a plant-based lifestyle meant giving up foods that I loved and giving up taste.

I am absolutely glad that I was wrong! There are so many tasty plant-based options available such as, Birds Eye®, Gardein™, and Earth Balance®! These items, plus many more, are offered at Publix! And if you click HERE, you can save $1.00 on any 1 Earth Balance® Spreads product, $1.00 on any 1 Gardein™ product, $3.49 on Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Veggie Made™ Tots or Fries and $3.49 on Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Veggie Made™ Pasta, Mashed or Riced items!

I picked up a few products that caught my eye and couldn’t wait to put together a recipe! This might sound a little devious, but I wanted to create a recipe and then serve it to my family to see if they would figure out that it was completely plant-based! Lol! This 20-Minute Southwestern Vegan Crispy Tender Skillet was the perfect recipe!

I started off by cooking my Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggie Made Original Riced Cauliflower in the microwave. love using Birds Eye Riced Cauliflower because it provides a full serving of veggies per serving and has no artificial ingredients. I found it in the frozen vegetables section! Plus, the taste and texture are very similar to regular rice! I LOVE the no hassle prep and It took less than 5 minutes to cook!

Next, I pre-cooked my Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Talk about convenient! Y’all, these crispy tenders are AH-MAZING! I picked there up from the frozen/naturals section of my local Publix. They are made with soy, wheat/pea proteins, vegetables and ancient grains, making them a great source of fiber! Because of its meat-like texture, I couldn’t believe that they were 100% vegan!

Once those items were done, I warmed my cast iron skillet on medium to high heat and added a couple tablespoons of Earth Balance Organic Whipped Buttery Spread. I found this item in the butters/spreads section of my local Publix! It’s such a great alternative to real butter. I love using Earth Balance Buttery Spread in my recipes because it’s super light and buttery! It’s also vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and a great source of Omega 3!

I added the crispy tenders, riced cauliflower, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, cilantro and taco seasoning to the skillet and cooked it for about 10-15 minutes. Before serving, I topped this 20-Minute Southwestern Vegan Crispy Tender Skillet with fresh jalapeños, sliced avocado, and cilantro. The results were out of this world! I couldn’t wait to serve it to my family!

When dinnertime rolled around, my husband was the first one to dig in…and then the kids! I was thrilled to hear, “Mmm, this is really good!” My oldest son said, “I love this chicken, mommy!” He had no idea that he was eating a plant-based product that was free of cholesterol and trans fats!

I couldn’t believe it, but there was actually some food leftover! I packed it up for me and the hubs to eat for lunch the next day! This 20-Minute Southwestern Vegan Crispy Tender Skillet made the perfect meal prep dish and it tasted even better the next day! I am definitely heading back to Publix to purchase a few more items to see what other plant-based meals I can create!

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20-Minute Southwest Vegan Crispy Tender Skillet

Servings 4

Author Beautiful Eats & Things

Ingredients

• 1-10 oz package Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Veggie Made™ Original Riced Cauliflower cooked
• 1-9 oz package Gardein™ Seven Grain Crispy Tenders cooked and chopped into pieces
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance® Organic Whipped Buttery Spread
• 4 tablespoons cilantro chopped
• 1 cup canned black beans drained
• ½ cup corn
• ¾ cup diced tomatoes
• 1 and ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Optional: sliced jalapenos sliced avocado, and lime wedges for topping

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Whipped Buttery Spread.
• Add Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, black beans, 3 tablespoons of cilantro, corn, diced tomatoes and taco seasoning to skillet. Cook for about 5-10 minutes.
• Toss in Birds Eye Original Riced Cauliflower and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat and top with 1 tablespoon of cilantro. Add lime wedges, sliced jalapeños, and sliced avocado if desired.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition Information (1 serving): Calories 233, Carbohydrates 24g, Fat 11g, Protein 13g, Saturated Fat 1g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 0g