Sunny Anderson's Salsa Verde Rice Soup

Ingredients

2 cups frozen mixture of corn, black beans, onions, green peppers, red pepper mix (recommended brand: Krasdale “Latino Mix or Super Associated “Fiesta Corn”)
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
Sunny’s Salsa Verde (recipe follows)
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup heavy cream*
Cilantro, for garnish
Sour cream for garnish

For the Salsa Verde:
1 pound tomatillos, cleaned and quartered
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 jalapeño, halved
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
Sugar
Salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
Sugar
Salt

Yields: Makes 2 1/2 cups of Salsa Verde

Preparation

In a pot over medium heat, add frozen vegetables, flour, a pinch of salt and a grind or two of pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until the heat begins to defrost the vegetables a bit and the flour becomes moist, about 4 minutes.

Raise the heat and add chicken stock and salsa verde. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add rice and break apart with a spoon if needed. Simmer about 5 more minutes to heat the rice then turn off the heat and slowly stir in heavy cream. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro as garnish.

Feelin’ like living on the light side? Just don’t add the cream, it’s just as good!

For the Salsa Verde:
Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeño and garlic in a pot, cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes, or until tomatillos are mushy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a blender or food processor. Add cilantro, lime juice and blitz until as smooth as possible. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and sugar, to balance. A pinch should be all you need of each.