Frugal Friday! Beans and Rice

It's that time of week again...It's Frugal Friday! Check it out at Biblical Womanhood for some more Frugal Friday fun.

So I was talking with a friend this week about my bean cooking post from a couple of weeks ago. What have I done with those beans? What do you do with that many beans? I have to admit that I am not much of a recipe kind of girl! I do a lot of things by the seat of my pants in the kitchen. This can be good and this can be bad. Especially when someone asks you to pass along a recipe...not so easy! We have all heard about going on a beans and rice diet to save some money but what exactly has that looked like for us. I thought I would share something that I have made this past month with those "Oh so cheap" beans I cooked up. I will admit that I am a soup fanatic! As a matter of fact my sweet 4 year old asked me today "Mommy can we have something else besides soup for lunch today!?" I love it! I love everything about soup really. It's comfort food (not as fattening as chocolate), it's cheap, you can make pretty big batches of it AND it freezes well! Gotta love that right? I found a recipe for Chicken tortilla soup. But of course I couldn't follow the recipe because I had to make due with what I had in the house. Not to mention I like to "create" yummy soup...it's like an art really! It was delicious of course and the best part is that my husband loved it! YEAH! Can't beat that! So I am going to try to document this recipe here and hope that I get it all just right!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2cups precooked and chopped chicken 1 can rotel (I have also used 1 can of diced tomato and a can of green chili 1 cup salsa verde (I actually have this in my fridge!) 1 cup frozen corn 3 carrots 3 celery stalks 6 corn tortillas chopped into small pieces 2 cups of water 2 chicken boullion 2 cups of frozen black beans 2 cups frozen garbanzo beans 2 Tablespoons of chili mix (If you don't have this add a T-chili powder and a T-Cumin) Mix it all together and cook for an hour... Top with cheese and sour cream

It's really that easy! And the best part about soup is that you can make due with what you have or what you prefer. I really recommend the corn tortillas...You can get them for super cheap if you have an Aldis close to you. They gave the soup a really nice flavor and thickened up the soup. They will just dissolve as they cook.

What else can you do with beans? Thankfully my husband is a big fan of Mexican. You can add them to just about any mexican recipe. I have also started a "no meat" meal once a week in our house (just to save a little more money) and beans are an excellent replacement. My next meal to cook with them will be enchiladas. The possiblities are endless on a "beans and rice" diet! I could go on forever but...I must POST!

You may also want to check out the Grocery Cart Challenge. Lots of great ideas there too.