Monday, 10 August 2009

• The Art of Freezer Meals

   

  I thought I would take advantage of what's left of my maternity leave and start making meals to freeze for later. I'm returning to work full-time in less than a month, and we're moving in just a couple weeks, so I don't think I'll have much time for cooking in the near future.
  

  I'd like to be able to just pull out a meal from the freezer, thaw it and throw it in the oven when I get home from work. The last thing I want to do when I get home from a long day at work is try to think of what to make and then go through the hassle of preparing it, especially when I have unpacking to do on top of everything. So freezing meals seems like the perfect solution for me as I approach the cusp of this hectic time. Here is a breakdown of my process:
  

  1. Make a meal for dinner as usual, but double or triple the recipe.
  2. Fill one casserole dish for the present meal, then one or two 2qt dishes lined with tin foil for freezing.
  3. Once cooled, freeze meals in the 2qt dishes overnight.
  4. Remove from the dishes, cover the tops with more tin foil and place in a large freezer bag.
  5. Write the date, name of meal, and cooking instructions on the bag and place it in the freezer for later.
  6. When you're ready to use it, pull it out the night before and place it back in the original casserole dish to thaw.
  7. Bake as per instructions.

  I like this method of wrapping the food in tin foil and putting it in freezer bags, because the bags are easy to stack and take up less room in your freezer.

  I use 2qt dishes so the food will fit into the bags. If this portion-size is too small for your family, you can always use two at a time, or serve one with some easy sides like salad, dinner rolls, rice, pasta, etc.

  If you are making soups, stews, or any stove-top meal, you can put the food directly in freezer bags once cooled. Make sure to double-bag it to prevent leaks.

  If you don’t have time to thaw a meal in the fridge, you can put it in cold water to speed things up, or with most meals you can bake from a frozen state as long as you double the cooking time.

  Here is one of my favourite recipes for freezing. It’s an adaptation from my recipe ‘bible’: Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry. The quantities have been doubled, so it should be enough for one large casserole dish and two 2qt dishes for freezing.
  

  Mexican Lasagna: Freezer-style
  

  3 lbs extra-lean ground beef

  2 cups diced onion

  2 cups diced green pepper

  4 tsp garlic

  1 19oz can of black beans

  1 19oz can diced tomatoes

  1 cup frozen or canned corn

  3 tsp chili powder

  2 tsp cumin

  2 jars of spaghetti sauce

  2 cups salsa

  ½ tsp ground pepper

  8 large whole wheat flour tortillas

  3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

  ½ cup chopped green onions

  Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish and two foil-lined 2qt casserole dishes with cooking spray and set aside.

  In a dutch oven, cook ground beef, onions, green pepper, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink.

  Add black beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add spaghetti sauce, salsa, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

  To assemble lasagna, spread enough of sauce mixture to cover bottom of casserole dish. Top with 2 large tortillas, overlapping and cutting as necessary to fit. Top with more sauce, sprinkle with cheese. Cover cheese with 2 more tortillas, followed by more sauce. Sprinkle with cheese again and top with green onions. Repeat this with the two smaller casserole dishes.

  At this point, cool the smaller dishes for freezing.

  Baking instructions: bake covered with foil for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let lasagna stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing for easier serving. Top each piece with a dollop of sour cream.

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