Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup Extravaganza

- 1 onion, finely chopped
- olive oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
- ½ bag frozen corn
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 lime (one extra for garnish)
- 1 handful cilantro, chopped
- 4-5 corn tortillas, cut into strips
- 1 avocado, diced
- cayenne pepper
- chili powder
- cumin
- salt and pepper
- cheddar or jack cheese, shredded
- sour cream

Sautee onion in olive oil until soft, then add garlic, green onions, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin. Sautee until fragrant (a minute or two). Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Add tomatoes, corn, black beans.

Grill up chicken spiced with cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. (You can also pan-fry it, but it won’t add the smokiness that the bbq does). Cut up or shred chicken and add it to the soup. Try the soup and add more seasonings according to taste, if needed. Add lime juice, cilantro, and avocado.

In large fry pan over medium-high heat, crisp up tortilla strips. Add salt. You may do this with oil or cooking spray. (For a shortcut, use tortilla chips instead).

Serve soup garnished with cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge.

Note on spices: as you see, they didn't specify amounts for spices. I used in the soup: 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne. And then extra spices for the chicken.

Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeno

Great, tasty, very easy black bean soup. Haven't tried it with the suggested garnishes yet, but it would probably be yummy.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth


Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately.

Santa Fe Soup

This is a recipe I got from my adopted mom. It works very much like chili, but is distinct enough to deserve it's own place.

1-2 lbs ground beef (or sausage) browned and drained of excess fat.
1 1/2 c. V8 picante
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cans Rotel (I don't know how available this is nationally)
15 oz can of:
Dark Red Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Ranch Style Beans (pinto beans if you can't find Ranch)
White Hominy (drained)
Corn (drained)
Chickpeas
Black-eyed Peas
1 package Williams Chili Seasoning


Directions:
Open all the cans.
Pour all ingredients into the crock-pot
Heat through.

Can also heat through on stove instead of in crock-pot

Suggested sides: Rice, Cornbread, Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortillas, Diced Onions or Scallions, Fritos.

MMMMM Good

King Ranch Chicken

a 3 lb chicken, boiled and boned and chopped
10-12 corn tortillas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chicken bouillon
1 can of Ro-Tel
1 large chopped onion
1 can black beans
cheddar cheese

Brown chicken in skillet. Mix soup, bouillon, Ro-Tel, onion and beans together. In a big deep lightly greased casserole dish, put down a layer of tortillas, then chicken, then soup mixture, then cheese. Repeat for three total layers, ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min. Top with sour cream or salsa, can be served with rice or tortilla chips.

Spencer made this for dinner last night for friends and it was highly praised and the recipe requested. Instead of boiling and boning a chicken, he used boneless chicken thighs that he browned in a skillet and then sliced up. We had it with chips, it was delicious!

Skillet Lasagna

28oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 pound ground beef
10 lasagna noodles, broken into two inch pieces
8oz can tomato sauce
at least 3/4 cup Parmesan
1 c. ricotta
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Pour tomatoes with their juices into a 1-qt container. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart. Heat oil in large skillet over med heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until onion begins to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and cook, until no longer pink. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender, abt 20 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup (or more) grated Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for five minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining Parmesan. Serve