Stir Fry with Veggies, and Chicken, and Beans, oh my!

This stir-fry recipe is a standby recipe in our household.  Most of the time we eat it veggie-style, but this time we made it with chicken and imitation crab, since we had some of each left over.  I've had it with tofu before, and I liked that.  I've never made it with beef, pork, or shrimp, but I imagine they'd all work just as fine, too. Sometimes we add a fresh bell pepper if we have it on hand, and sometimes we serve it over rice.  It's fairly healthy, other than some of the soy sauce, but if you're worried about that, just cut down the soy sauce and increase the white wine vinegar.  Serve with Baked Crabby Rangoon, and you're set. It's certainly nothing exquisite, but it's fast and e-a-s-y. :)

Ingredients

2tbsp Canola oil

1 bag of frozen, mixed stir-fry veggies

Mushrooms

Crab/chicken/tofu/beef/pork/shrimp {Use none of these, or use a combo if you like- usually 1 c. of each works well}

1/4 c. Soy Sauce

1/4 c. White wine vinegar

Dash of oregano

1 can of cannellini beans

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan at medium to medium-high heat.
2. Put bag of frozen, mixed stir-fry veggies in. Mix together.
3. When they are not cold anymore, add sliced mushrooms. Mix together.
4. Once the mushrooms are warm, add crab/chicken/tofu/beef/pork/shrimp -whatever you'd like to include. {This chicken was precooked, so we didn't have to worry about that part of it.) Mix together.
5. Add soy sauce and white wine vinegar. Mix together.
6. LET IT SIZZLE into delicious, SIZZLEY GOODNESS.
7. Add drained cannellini beans. Mix together.
8. Serve when hot.

ENJOY!

And for the more pictorally favored readers:

add oil, then frozen veggie bag

frozen veggies in pan with oil

mushrooms and crab ready to go in

the chicken has been added, but not mixed in yet

soy sauce, white wine vinegar, and cannelini beans

everything added, ready to be mixed and heated some more

ready to eat!  YUM!

Fruity Black Bean Soup

The Mr. and I ate huge bowls of this for Easter dinner with cheesebread and really enjoyed it.  It's really easy to make, fairly healthy, and pretty cheap.  Nothing beats that!  You can serve it as a small soup as an appetizer before the meal, or eat a big bowl of it as the main course.  My batch probably made roughly 6-8 servings, since serving size can vary. Bon appétit!

Ingredients
2 cans (15 oz each) of black beans, rinsed and drained {or cook your own from the bag for less sodium}
30 oz vegetable broth {or chicken stock, whatever. No big difference!}
8 oz fruity tomato-based salsa (any combination of peach, pineapple, and/or mango salsa will work)
*I think most stores carry some type of fruity salsa.  I used half a jar of Mango Peach Salsa by Archer Farms {found at Target}.
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado/guacamole

Items used
Blender
Large bowl to store soup
A spoon to mix with

Method

1. Roughly estimating, put about half of the beans, broth, salsa, and spices in a blender.  Blend until fairly smooth.
2. If your blender will fit the rest, add the other half of the beans, broth, salsa, and spices to the blender.  Blend until smooth, and add to a large bowl with a lid.  {If your blender is smaller, pour the puree from step 1 into a bowl.  In the blender, add and blend the remaining beans, broth, salsa, and spices until smooth. Pour into the bowl, and mix well to combine with the first batch.}
3. To thicken, let chill in a bowl for 15 minutes or longer.
4. Serve cold if you like, or heat up in the microwave until warm.
5. {Optional:} Garnish with sour cream and avocado/guacamole. 

Three main ingredients go into a blender, one yummy soup comes out of the blender.  You can eat it warm or cold, if you prefer, with as many or as few garnishes as you like.  Vary the spices if you'd like more variety. {Cumin and cayenne could work here, too.} Seriously, it's super versatile and easy!


Added April 28- Click this link to see the nutritional information per serving...it's pretty cool! I was able to add almost all of the exact ingredients I used.  

This bowl was much more full when I initially made it.  I forgot to take a picture right away, so this is how much is left after about four servings.

My avocado concoction {basically guacamole- it tastes way better than it looks!}, and sour cream.

Cost Effective-ness

{1.58} 2 cans of beans @ 0.79 each

{1.98} 2 cans of 15 oz broth @ 0.99 each

{1.50} 16 oz jar of salsa @ 2.99, used half

{5.06}

*I'm going to neglect the cost of the spices, since it's a small amount and I usually have it on hand, so it's is fairly negligible in the cost.

{0.43} sour cream @ 1.70 each, used about 1 tbsp in each serving

{2.00} 1 avocado @ 2.00 each, used 1/6 to 1/8 of the avocado each time

$5.06 without garnishes, per batch ($0.63-0.84 per serving)

$7.49 with garnishes, per batch ($0.94-1.25 per serving)

YAY FOR MATH!!!