Frugal

Last night I indulged in baked chimichangas, and tonight I used whatever was left over and put together a pretty fabulous soup. It's not too spicy, but it is super flavorful. I used the remaining brown rice, black bean and sirloin mixture. And then I decided that diced carrots and celery, chopped onion and a little more garlic would be nice. Some chicken stock and spices made an appearance in the pot, not to mention chopped tomatoes and leftover enchilada sauce. It's looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's a pretty quick fix considering you're using leftovers and opening cans and spice jars.

Chopped Sirloin, Black Bean and Rice Soup

Left over sirloin, bean and rice mixture (recipe posted last night)
1 T olive or canola oil- I used olive
1 small onion chopped
1 carrot diced
1 small celery stalk diced
1 large garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 T cilantro
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Left over black beans mashed (last night I only used a cup)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I use no salt added)
1 14.5 can fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup enchilada sauce (I use medium-heat Carlita)
Lime juice
Grated cheese (I used Sargento's 2% cheddar)
Sour cream  or yogurt for garnish
Diced avocado for garnish
Additional cilantro (I had no more so I omitted)
Sliced scallions for garnish (I had one left and am saving it for tomorrow)

Prep your vegetables.

In large soup pot on medium to low heat, add the oil. Then the onions, carrots and celery. Let these vegetables soften a bit and add the garlic. And then the spices- cumin, cayenne, cilantro, salt, pepper, ground chili and oregano. Turn heat to low, cover and let the flavors get to know one another.

Add the left over rice, bean and sirloin combo and mix with the vegetables. Then add the mashed black beans and combine. Now it's time to give this aromatic mixture a bath. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, and enchilada sauce. Let simmer, covered on low about 15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, make Lynn Socko's crispy tortilla chips. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and dust with cooking spray. Slice 3 or 4 six inch tortillas into quarters. Place chips on prepared foil, give them a spritz of cooking spray and sprinkle with Mrs Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend. Bake 6-7 minutes.

Soup's done. Chips are done. To each bowl of soup, add some grated cheese, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and any of the garnishes suggested, but certainly don't leave out the homemade chips. They're super yummy and fabulous for scooping out the melted cheese and all the other goodies in the soup.