Frugal Menu Mamas

Happy Friday!

One type of food that freezes real well is soup.  We have done several soup recipes in our co-op and they have always turned out well.  I have a friend who has been making one big pot of homemade soup each week this winter (she will be doing a guest post later) and I’m guessing leftover soup freezes well, too.  Soup can be frozen in gallon Ziploc bags laid flat.  When you defrost your soup though, make sure the bag is set in a bowl because sometimes the bags leak or sweat in the thawing process.  (By the way, I always try to thaw my freezer meals in the refrigerator overnight.)

So, today I am eating a meal I do not have to make.  I love it!  Our dinner is one of the freezer meals from my co-op.  This is the second time it has been done and I’ve even made it once at home.  Its delicious!  That said, it is a little bit of work to make this recipe, so if you try it, make a double batch so you only have to do all that work once.  And by the way, I am a picky eater, if I had seen this recipe before tasting it, I would not have picked it from the ingredient list.  And I like it, so just give it a try.  :)  I hope you enjoy!  I’ll try to post a photo of it tonight!

Rachael Ray’s Green and White Lightning Chunky Chicken Chili (Tortilla Soup):

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (2 turns of the pan)
6 (6-ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin (2 palmfuls)
1 tablespoon ground coriander (a palmful)
1 cup mild or hot tomatillo salsa (green salsa on Mexican Foods aisle)–I used Rotel
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or Great Northern beans
1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, for garnish
1 individual lunch-box-size bag of corn chips, optional and not that dangerous

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken to the hot oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, continuing to stir.

Add the tomatillo salsa and the chicken stock. Bring the chili up to a simmer. Add half of the beans. With a fork thoroughly mash the other half of the beans, then add to the chili. This method will help to thicken the chili. Simmer the chili for 10 minutes.

Remove the chili from the heat and add the cilantro, parsley, and lime juice.

Serve each bowl of chili with a little shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top. Oh, and go ahead, have a chip or two! I crush up a small bag and stir them right in!

If you are freezing this recipe, allow it to cool before spooning into Ziploc bag.  Freeze shredded cheese in a separate bag.