Chicken Fiesta Soup

I'm always on the lookout for recipes that resemble chicken tortilla soup.  I've had this soup at probably 50+ restaurants, and my hands down favorite is McAlisters.  The only copycat recipe for that soup I can find did not turn out at all like the restaurant version!  So, I'm resigned to simply making any chicken tortilla-ish soup that crosses my path...and eating McAlisters version as much as I can drag Bart to go with me!  This recipe came from a crockpot cookbook I borrowed from a co-worker.  It definitely fits the bill for eating more veggies, and I thought it was good!  The green chiles make it a bit spicy, so I'd decrease those if you don't like spice.

just some of the ingredients...got ahead of myself chopping before I took the pic

Ingredients:
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 14oz can stewed tomatoes, drained - I used crushed, and poured the whole can in
1 28oz can enchilada sauce
1 14oz can chicken broth
2 4oz cans green chiles
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chopped onion
chicken* - I used 1 large chicken breast, but the recipe called for 4! I'd recommend 1-2.
salt
pepper
chili powder - I substituted cayenne
cumin

-Chop all vegetables.  I used my mini chopper and this was a huge timesaver compared to last week's Sausage & Tortellini soup! 
-Add everything to crock pot except chicken. (Spray crockpot with cooking spray or use a liner for easy clean up!) I went in this order - veggies, canned items, spices.  I don't think it matters much, but don't put the spices in first or they might get stuck on the bottom and not mix through well.  Stir well.
-I added an uncooked, partially still frozen chicken breast and then cooked on low 8 hours.  When I got home, I took out the chicken and shredded it with two forks.  Then, I returned the chicken to the crockpot and allow to heat through (I also added a little water at this point because it was looking fairly stew-like).  The recipe calls for adding cooked chicken to the soup mixture, which you can definitely do.  I don't know all the rules for uncooked chicken, but I think the temperature and length of time you are cooking kills any bacteria in the soup that comes from putting the raw chicken in it.  But, if you are concerned, you can always cook the chicken in the crockpot overnight, shred it in the morning and throw it in with the soup ingredients.

Now that its even cold in Texas, soup is the perfect thing to have for dinner!  Filling, healthy, and warms you up.  Try this one and let me know if you like it!

DIY Burrito bowls

Inspired by our friends at Chipotle, I decided to make burrito bowls earlier this week.  They were delicious!  The options are really endless, so I'll tell you what we did as well as some alternatives we might try next time.

1.  Start by making cilantro lime rice (one recipe yields about 3-4 servings worth for the bowl, depending on how much you want)
2.  Marinate, then cook, your meat.  We used steak I got on sale seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and lime juice.  Chicken would also be delicious, or slow cooked pork or beef.
3.  While meat is cooking, assemble other ingredients.  Ours were: black beans, corn salsa (courtesy of Chipotle!), regular salsa, lettuce, and cheese.  You could also have pico de gallo, queso, onions, pinto or refried beans.
4.  Layer everything up!  I think the best order is rice, meat, beans, salsas, cheese, lettuce. 

This is really SO easy, and though its a little time consuming to get everything together, its certainly worth the end result.  I think this would be a great (and healthier) option for a get together, especially as football season approaches.  If you try it out, let me know what you think!

Homemade Salsa

I made this last weekend and it was so good! I'm planning to make it again this weekend. It makes a TON, so I'm sure you could freeze it if you weren't going to eat it all immediately. Or, you can just be like us and eat it every day for a week :)

Ingredients:
1 bunch cilantro
1 can (28oz) whole peeled tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles*
1 onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 limes
*if you use Rotel, you need 3 cans since they are smaller than 14.5 oz

Directions:
In a blender or food processor, put half the cilantro in, then one can of diced tomatoes, then the other half of cilantro, then the other can of diced tomatoes. Layering it makes it blend better. If something gets stuck, you may have to stir during the blending.

Blend thoroughly.

Dump into a big bowl.

Next, put half the onion in the blender, cut into huge wedges, half the big can of peeled tomatoes, the garlic and the lime. (I would chop the onion up itself first, because my onion still had some rather large pieces in the final product)

Blend and add to the bowl.

Put in the rest of the onion and the remaining tomatoes.

Blend and add to the bowl.

Add salt to taste.

Stir everything together in the big bowl by hand.

You should probably use your biggest bowl for this. I did, thinking it would be more than enough room, and it was just right. The end result tastes so fresh and delicious, I'm betting you won't want to buy pre-made salsa again! There is a strong cilantro taste, so if you are not a cilantro fan, you can omit it or just use a smaller amount.

Hope you enjoy!


photo credit

King Ranch Chicken

I'm surprised I haven't posted about this already - its one of our favorite chicken dishes! I just made it tonight with a little twist, so I'll tell you about two variations.

Ingredients:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Rotel
1.5 cups chicken broth
12 tortillas, cut into quarters (pizza cutter works great for this!)
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped (amount to taste)
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1-2 cups shredded cheese (amount to taste)

To do:
-Mix soups, Rotel and chicken broth in large saucepan (a skillet might be too small, I use this piece and it works great).
-Add chicken and onion and cook for 10 minutes, covered.
-Spray a 9x13 or other baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
-Layer tortillas, 1/3 of soup mixture and 1/3 cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times.
-Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Please, no comments on our lack of vegetables. I'm pretty sure Rotel counts. :)

Tips:
-I sometimes use 2 cream of chicken soups rather than 1 mushroom/1 chicken. I had one batch of King Ranch turn out very mushroom-y which was not too good (but no prob if you like mushrooms!)
-Tonight, I substituted crushed tortilla chips for the tortillas, and barely noticed a difference.
-This reheats GREAT! Almost better than the first time, which, if you know me well, is a big claim for me to make. I'm usually anti-leftovers :)

Let me know if you try it and like it!

Cornbread Taco Casserole

This is by far my favorite recipe these days...it is so easy and so delicious.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can cream corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 box cornbread mix
2/3 cup salsa
1 onion (optional)
1 cup water
1 can black beans
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix cream corn, cornbread mix and 1/2 cup water in small bowl.
Spread mixture into bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes and then remove.
Cook meat with onion, drain well.
Add 1/2 cup water and taco seasoning and simmer until water is absorbed.
Add salsa and black beans to meat and mix well.
Spoon meat mixture over cornbread evenly. Top with cheese.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

I've actually never made this with black beans because I don't really care for them, but I'm sure it would go very well with it. Hope you enjoy!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

We made these enchiladas this week, and they were great! Pretty easy as well.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cooked
8 tortillas, softened
1 1/2 cup monterey jack or mexican cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 (15 oz can) chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can green chiles

Divide chicken into tortillas, add 1 1/2 tbsp of cheese to each.
Roll and place in 9x12 dish.
Melt butter in saucepan, add flour. Stir and cook until bubbly. Whisk in chicken broth.
Bring to boiling, stirring frequently, then remove from heat.
Stir in sour cream and chiles until well blended.
Pour sauce over enchiladas, and top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I typically cook the chicken in the crockpot with chicken broth, spices and some salsa. Then its super easy to shred for the enchiladas. I do think this sauce is maybe a little too sour creamy-it would probably be better if I was using real butter and sour cream rather than low fat :) But they are still very good!

Queso

About two weeks ago, we met with our monthly 'dinner club' for a Mexican meal. I had the easy (and delicious) job of making queso, so I got a recipe from my friend Courtney and tweaked it a little. Here are the ingredients:
-large package of Velveeta, cubed (I used the 2% milk one)
-8 oz. of cream cheese (I used fat free)
-1 can rotel
-1 pound of ground turkey (brown with 1 package taco seasoning, drain, and mix with everything else)

I threw everything in the crockpot and cooked on low for about 3 hours, and it was all melted together and delicious!