Hunger hits, it is getting close to dinner time, you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer to thaw for your planned meal and take-out does not fit into your food plan today. Has this ever happened to you? If truth be told, frequently my daughter Katy asks me to go shopping and well, you know, one hour turns into three and before I know it, the afternoon is gone. There isn’t enough time to make the planned, but somewhat time consuming meal I had intended to make. However, I still need to feed the family.
I used to struggle with this and then I decided to create a back up plan. I love that old saying, “fail to plan, plan to fail.” I keep a list of entrees for days like this, and I have certain products that I keep in the freezer and pantry so I can make a healthy, quick meal to stay on my food plan. This is the first recipe from that list that I will share. More quick and easy recipes will come in the future. Start your own list of quick and easy meals. Make sure your pantry and freezer are stocked with the ingredients and finally, put that list where you can find it easily!
This soup is so good you will want to make it even when you are not in a hurry. It is very forgiving so feel free to substitute whatever you have in the pantry. I have subbed Rotel for the diced tomatoes and green chiles. Skip the chicken if you don’t have it and make it meatless, and add another can of beans for added protein and fiber. I made it a few days ago and while it was simmering for a about 30 minutes I made some cornmeal scones to serve alongside. For more convenience you can make cormeal muffins from a mix – I like Marie Callender’s.
Creamy Chili-Corn Soup with Chicken and Black Beans
- 2 teaspoons oilive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (or to taste)
- use 14.5 ounce cans for the following:
- 2 cans creamed corn
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 can chicken broth
- 1 can black beans drained (I sometimes add a can of red kidney beans too)
- 1 can diced green chiles
- 1 cup shredded or cubed cooked chicken (I keep bags of this in the freezer)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
In a dutch oven , heat oil over medium high heat, add garlic and heat until garlic starts to sizzle, add chili powder and cumin and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add corn, tomatoes, broth, beans, chilies, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered to blend flavors. The recipe says simmer for 5 minutes but I like to let it simmer for 20 -30 minutes for more flavor, add a little more broth if it starts to get too thick. Stir in cilantro and serve. Feel free to top it with light sour cream, more cilantro, cubed avocado or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Yield: 8 cups Servings Size: 1 cup
Nutritional Information
Per One Cup Serving: 194 Calories; 5g Fat (24.3% calories from fat); 16g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 537mg Sodium.
Old WWP 3 / New WWPP 5
Adapted from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great by Pam Anderson
4 comments
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Judy says:
January 20, 2010 at 3:50 am (UTC -7)
Tami, love the creative title of your blog–very warm and inviting! (like you!)
Your photos and recipes are amazing and inspire me to step up my cooking skills! It will be hard to pick which one to make first!
It is so great to see the focus on healthy and happy eating!
Tami says:
January 20, 2010 at 7:28 pm (UTC -7)
Good to see you made it here Judy! Thanks for the kind words. Let me know if you try any of the recipes and give me your review as well. You are an awesome cook girlfriend!
Jessica says:
February 9, 2010 at 4:57 pm (UTC -7)
I made this recipe for dinner last night. However, I cooked it in the crockpot! The aroma it gave throughout the house was wonderful! I made cornbread to go with it and the combination was delicious. It was super simple to make and the whole family enjoyed it! Adan and I both had leftovers for lunch today and we crumbled corn tortilla chips on top! I will definitely be making this again. 4 stars!
Tami says:
February 10, 2010 at 6:51 am (UTC -7)
Jessica thank you for the wonderful review. I am so happy that your family enjoyed it. What a great idea to use the crock pot and corn bread is the perfect side dish. I love the idea of crumbled tortilla chips on top. It is so nice when you find a recipe that the whole family will eat. Thanks for coming back to the blog and taking the time to write a review!