Freezer Friendly Recipes

Something I've been trying to do lately is to make at least a couple meals a week that I can freeze half in Ziplock freezer bags for a quick and tasty meal later on. Mostly this has worked great, but of course a few meals haven't frozen and reheated as well as I'd hoped. Here's a couple of recipes that tasted great the first and second time around!

Chicken Fajitas
(In order to have enough to freeze I doubled the recipe and needed 2 skillets. Obviously I froze only the filling and used fresh tortillas and cheese to reheat. These are the BEST fajitas we've ever had!)

Ingredients:
1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C lime juice
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cumin
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1 t oregano
1/4 t black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 red onion, julienned
3 bell peppers assorted colors, julienned
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, julienned

Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients into a bowl. Toss well and marinate in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours, preferably overnight. (I only had time for about an hour and they still turned out great.)
2. Drain mixture and saute over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.
3. Serve with tortillas and cheese.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

(This recipe is from a friend's blog and can be viewed with a photo here. She has lots of other promising recipes though this is the only one I've tried so far. I added a couple cups of leftover cooked brown rice which I highly recommend.)

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 cans black beans (15 oz each), drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (16 oz) pumpkin puree

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot heat the oil until shiny, then turn to medium low. Add the onion, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, and cayenne and stir often until the onion has softened. About 3 to 4 minutes.

2. In a food processor puree the beans, tomatoes, and 2 cups of broth. Add the puree, pumpkin and remaining broth to the pot.

3. Simmer uncovered until thick, stirring often while scraping the bottom, about 30 minutes or until desired thickness. Salt to taste and garnish as desired.