A well-stocked freezer is a thing of beauty

A trip to the warehouse club can be a dangerous thing if you own a chest freezer.  One moment you’re innocently walking down an aisle buying a package of toilet paper, and the next thing you know– you have a 48-pack of mini quiche sitting in your deep freezer.  How long has it been there? When did you even buy it?!?! And who will take the blame when it’s sitting there taking up space two years from now? It’s time to shape up that freezer and ship out what you know you’ll never eat.

I’m proud to say that our deep freezer was one of the most exciting purchases during my foray into domesticity.  Visions of well-labeled canisters of homemade soup, packets of meat, and frozen vegetables danced in my head. Never again would I need to worry about what to make for dinner– it would all be sitting in my freezer just waiting to be defrosted. However, in order to have dinner at your fingertips, you’ve gotta have the basics and a little something exciting to make you actually WANT to cook dinner.

To kick things off in this season of snow and ice, I present to you Kathleen’s list of Top Five Items to Get in your Freezer Right Now! If you have these on hand, you’ll never end up reaching for that take-out menu.  I swear by all five of the following items, and for the record– they’re all sitting in my chest freezer at this very moment.

5.  Spinach

We all know the story– the dark greens are good for us. If you don’t have it right now, get yourself one of those frozen spinach blocks (or two) and plop them into your freezer. Why? Aside from the nutritional benefits, spinach will liven up and make a one-note dish more colorful. Just defrost for a few minutes, squeeze out as much water as possible, and add it to soups, jarred pasta sauce, and dips. Mix it with ricotta and bam! You’ve got the filling for stuffed shells or cannelloni.  Mix with sour cream and mayo for a great dip. You could even just serve it warm as a side dish (but we know you’re not going to do that).

*Extra Credit:  Make some room in your freezer for those frozen basil cubes and pesto you made at the end of this summer.

4. Frozen cheese-filled tortellini

If you’re feeling ambitious, you could sit down one evening and crank out some handmade filled pasta. Or you could be like me– wanting to boil water and be done with it.  For as simple as it is, frozen tortellini is a grand staple. Sauted lightly with olive oil and that frozen spinach (#5), it’s a simple and satisfying dinner. Thrown into a soup or broth, and you’ve got something that will easily stave off a winter chill. Marinate some overnight in salad dressing and skewer with tomato and mozzarella cubes– and you have a simple and elegant appetizer. As an added bonus, you’ll always have something on hand to whip up for that surprise vegetarian dinner guest or picky nephew. If you’re feeling really experimental, try topping a salad with chilled, cooked tortellini instead of croutons.  I’m a fan.

*Extra credit:  If you can find frozen pumpkin ravioli, stock up. It’s one of those “impress your friends with an easy entree” items.  Saute with brown butter and sage, add a little crumbled Italian sausage (#2), and you’re good to go.

3. Frozen Peas or Corn

Don’t laugh.  It’s a sad day indeed when I realize that we’re out of frozen peas.  I’ll let you check out Beth’s amazing corn salsa if you need extra reason to stock up on some kernels.  Aside from instant faux ice packs when you’ve got a splitting headache, these two veggies are incredibly versatile when you’re looking to spice up your dinner. Just thaw (no need to boil) and add to your dinner salad when all you have is a head of iceberg. Add peas to alfredo or to my incredible artery-clogging, bacon-tastic carbonara (coming soon to DP!) for a splash of color.  Puree with some salt and pepper for an easy dip.

*Extra credit:  We also keep a stock of frozen edamame (soybeans), both shelled and unshelled.  The shelled ones just need a little hot water and salt to make a great appetizer or pea replacement.

2. Italian sausage

Everyone has frozen ground beef in their freezer– I think it might even be issued with the purchase of a chest freezer.  But how inspiring are those little balls of freezer-burned beef? Not very.  I like to purchase Italian sausage (still in casings) and freeze portioned packets of two links each. Once defrosted, it’s easy to pull the casing off, and you’ve got a great way to spice up your dinner. Try mixing in Italian sausage with ground beef for burgers or meatballs. Brown some and add to your frozen tortellini (#4).  Or just keep in the casing and fire up the grill.  I normally have both mild and spicy links on hand for variety.

*Extra credit: This might sound a little lame coming from someone who likes to cook, but do yourself a favor and buy frozen mini meatballs (I like the ground turkey ones, myself). Yes, it’s lazy. However, knowing all you have to do is heat them and serve gives you a lot of options in the kitchen. Add to pasta for an easy dinner. Add to a broth with a few noodles for a soup. Add some sauce and you’ve got a sandwich, or throw into a slow cooker for an easy party appetizer.

and for my absolute staple in the freezer….. (drumroll, please)

1. Bacon!

To know bacon is to love bacon– at least when it comes to adding flavor and variety to your cooking repertoire.  Perhaps you already have the beloved breakfast meat in your freezer, so I’ll be a little more specific. During your next grocery trip, pick up a package or two and immediately slice each 1lb slab into four chunks (each which conveniently fit well in a quart freezer bag).  The next time you’re looking for a bit of extra flavor, pull out a bag. This amount of bacon easily defrosts right in the pan, and you’re already on your way to a fancy mac ‘n’ cheese or rich carbonara.  I’ll often pull out a package just for an easy breakfast addition or something extra to throw into a dip. My personal favorite is to fry up a little bacon, and use some of the drippings to saute fresh brussel sprouts.  I’ve even used it to infuse vodka and create a surprising brownie– but those are recipes for sharing on another day.

*Extra credit: If you’re feeling really adventurous, pick up a small package of pork belly.  This can be just as easily diced up and added to give a little more heft to a pasta or really liven up a salad. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be on a competitive cooking show in order to cook with this luscious ingredient.

What food items do you lean on when it comes to heating up dinner ideas? We want to hear! In the meantime, happy defrosting!

This Chicken Taco salad has become one of my new favorite lunches. As you may have gathered from my previous postings, I’m a big fan of Mexican flavors. This isn’t so much of a recipe as it is a quick and easy meal idea.

The chicken taco salad is simple, tasty and filling. I use baked chicken that’s been seasoned with cumin, chili powder and garlic powder and drizzled with a small amount of fat-free Italian dressing. The salad can be served hot or cold. Since I usually use frozen corn, I like to lightly saute the corn, beans and onion before plating the salad. Any salsa will work, but I prefer to use one that’s not very chunky. My current favorite is Archer Farms’ Organic Chipotle Picante-Style Salsa, available at Target.

Chicken Taco Salad

Yields 1 salad

2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup corn
1/4 black beans, drained and rinsed
chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
1 tbsp shredded Mexican cheese
salsa

1. Shred lettuce.
2. Saute beans, corn and onion in small amount of olive oil or cooking spray.
3. Top lettuce with vegetables, chicken, salsa and cheese.

A warm bowl of homemade soup seemed like a fitting end to yet another snowy Sunday. I’ve been planning to make a Mexican-inspired soup for awhile, but had not had a chance to search for the perfect recipe. I decided to use this Tomato Cheddar Soup recipe as a general inspiration for a brand new creation.

I omitted both the milk and cheddar cheese, choosing to only top the soup with shredded cheddar. I swapped in Mexican seasonings and added corn, zucchini and black beans to the garlic and onion. Next time, I plan to add some diced red pepper and minced jalapeno pepper to round out the vegetables.

The resulting mexican tomato soup had the familiar feel of a tomato vegetable soup, but with a fun flavor kick. Adding a side of cornbread really completed the meal…perfect for a cold winter’s night.

Mexican Tomato Soup

Yields 4 servings

3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2/3 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1 28 oz can tomato puree
1 15 oz can fat free chicken broth
2/3 cup corn
2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini and garlic; saute for 10 minutes, or until zucchini has softened.
2) Add tomato puree, broth, corn and black beans. Stir well to combine.
3) Season with chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper.
4) Simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes to heat vegetables through and to allow flavors to combine.

I pulled this recipe for Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Enchiladas from a Cooking Light magazine. The vegetable filling provides a nice change from some of the more typical meat-heavy Mexican dishes.

This is a relatively time consuming recipe, but the resulting meal is well worth the effort. The enchilada sauce requires 30 minutes of simmer time, but it’s possible to save some time by preparing the vegetable filling concurrently. The magazine’s copy of the recipe suggests preparing the enchilada sauce a few days in advance and then refrigerating it. I’ve never planned far enough ahead to do this, but it would certainly be a time saver!

I have made very few changes to the original enchilada recipe. In order to reduce total calories and fat, I halved the amount of cheese used. I also sprinkle a small amount of cumin and chili powder on the vegetable filling before assembling the enchiladas. I find that this gives the filling a little more flavor, and complements the seasonings in the enchilada sauce quite nicely. It’s also worth noting that typically end up with only six enchiladas, while Cooking Light states that the recipe yields eight.

Black Bean, Corn and Zucchini Enchilada Recipe

Yields 6 servings (1 enchilada each)

1 teaspoon canola oil
2 cups diced zucchini
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups Enchilada Sauce, divided (see recipe below)
Cooking spray
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
1 cup (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided

1 ) Preheat oven to 350?.
2 ) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups zucchini and corn; saut? for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3 ) Remove from heat, and stir in beans.
4 ) Spread 1 cup Enchilada Sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
5 ) Spoon about 1/2 cup zucchini mixture down center of 1 tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoons cheese, and roll up. Place seam-side down in baking dish.
6 ) Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, zucchini mixture, and 5 tablespoons cheese. Spread remaining 2 cups sauce evenly over enchiladas.
7 ) Cover with foil; bake at 350? for 30 minutes.
8 ) Uncover; top with remaining cheese (10 tbsp) . Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Enchilada Sauce

Yields 3 cups

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

1) Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2) Add onion and garlic; saut? 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
3) Stir in broth and remaining ingredients.
4) Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Since our evening was quite busy, my husband and I opted to have appetizers for dinner. We both love Mexican food. It’s tasty, fun to make and pairs perfectly with a yummy margarita. We decided that quesadillas would be a quick, filling appetizer-for-dinner.

I adapted this recipe from the “Black Bean Quesadilla” recipe in Favorite Brand Name Mexican. My husband bought this cookbook for my birthday, and I love it. Not only does it contain quite a variety of recipes, but it’s well-organized and chock full of lovely photos. I really like to see picture of what I’m making.

The original recipe does not include corn and only calls for 1/2 cup of black beans. Adding the corn and doubling the amount of beans makes for a very filling quesadilla. I also increased the amount of cheese by about 1/4 of a cup, because I like cheesy quesadillas. Extra cheese also helps to hold things together.

This is not a recipe that needs to be followed carefully. Have fun changing proportions and switching up ingredients to include your favorite mix of flavors!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Cooking spray
4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend are perfect)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn (if using frozen, thaw first)
2 green onions with tops, sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried cilantro
salsa and sour cream for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray large nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray. Place two tortillas on baking sheet.
2. Combine beans, corn, green onions, cumin and cilantro in a small bowl; mix lightly.
3. Spoon corn and bean mixture onto tortillas. Sprinkle cheese over mixture.
4. Top with remaining tortillas and coat tops with cooking spray.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are lightly browned.
6. Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Top with salsa and sour cream, if desired.