Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've been craving a great bowl of tortilla soup. In a light, flavorful broth, packed with nutrients, a hint of heat, plus all of the fun toppings...you can't go wrong with tortilla soup. Topped with homemade tortilla strips and other goodies, it does make for a gorgeous bowl of soup. When I roasted THIS chicken for dinner on Monday night, I knew that I would be using the leftovers for tortilla soup.

I would say that this was a good batch of tortilla soup. Not great...but good. Certainly passable. My search for the best chicken tortilla soup WILL continue beyond this recipe. I know that girlichef is also on the quest for the best ever tortilla soup also. Click HERE to check out her recipes and her tortilla soup round up complete with recipes from other food blogs.

Here's how my attempt at tortilla soup went tonight:

I heated a couple of tablespoons of butter in my soup pot. Then I added in a diced onion and a couple of thinly sliced green onions and sauteed until tender before stirring in 4 cloves of minced garlic and cooking for another 2 minutes.



Next, I stirred in a couple of tablespoons of flour.



And 4-1/2 cups of chicken broth.



I dumped in the rest of the ingredients (except for the chicken and cilantro): diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, oregano and cumin. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.



While the soup simmered, I cut up tortilla strips. You can use crushed tortilla chips in place of tortilla strips if you want to skip this step. But if you don't mind a little extra work, then thinly slice a couple of flour tortillas. You won't regret it!



Heat 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet and drop the tortilla strips in to fry (in batches). When they are golden brown, remove to drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.



By the time I finished my tortilla strips, the timer on my simmer soup was angrily beeping. I quickly silenced it with the push of a button and stirred in 3 cups of chopped chicken and a couple of tablespoons of minced cilantro. Heat through before serving and salt and pepper to taste.



To serve, place some tortilla strips in the bottom of your soup bowl...



then ladle soup over them.



Garnish with some shredded cheese, sour cream, and more tortilla strips and cilantro if desired.



Here's the recipe from Cooking Healthy magazine, October 2008

Tasty Tortilla Soup

7 Servings Prep: 20 min. Cook: 40 min.

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4-1/2 cups Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1-1/3 cups crushed baked tortilla chip scoops
7 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions
•In a Dutch oven, saute onion and green onions in butter until tender.
Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

•Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Stir in the
tomatoes, tomato sauce, chilies, oregano, cumin and pepper. Bring to
a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken and cilantro; heat through.

•For each serving, place 2 tablespoons chips in a soup bowl. Top with
1-1/2 cups soup. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon each of
cheese and chips. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving equals 256 calories, 8 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 654 mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

* I used one can of diced tomatoes with chilies. It turned out that can of diced tomatoes was VERY spicy. This added quite a bit of heat to the soup...but I liked it!
** I used regular tortilla chips and shredded cheese (not low fat)
*** This recipe was designed to be low in sodium. I found that it needed some salt.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I've had this giant roasting chicken in my freezer for a couple of months. I acquired it from my grandma sometime last summer. She was cleaning out her freezer at the same time I happened to be visiting and she insisted that I take the bird with me. When I finally pulled it out to thaw in my fridge this weekend weekend, I had big plans for the chicken. I knew that I could stretch it into three meals for our family and so I built our meal plan around it. Yesterday afternoon, I hauled the chicken out to dress it up for the oven. That's when I noticed the date on the freezer bag: 2007. Ewww. A three year old chicken? Not cool. Still, there were no signs of freezer burn and it smelled fine, and so risk-taker that I am, I pressed on. Lucky for me, the chicken turned out just great. I used a recipe from the Fall 2007 version of Kraft Food & Family (coincidentally, the same year that this chicken met her demise). It called for rubbing a mixture of cream cheese and rosemary under the skin and then brushing with Italian dressing before baking. I've used this method of rubbing seasoning under the skin of chicken and turkey before, just not with cream cheese. I was intrigued.

The chicken was delicious. The potatoes were yummy. And the whole family ate this without complaint. I'd definitely make this again.

To begin, I softened a block of cream cheese, then mixed it together with plenty of sea salt, a teaspoon of rosemary, and some pepper.



This chicken didn't come from the store, so it needed a little extra attention. I needed to remove the neck and tail and some remaining "guts" (sorry for that description). Then I rinsed the whole thing and separated the skin from the breast, legs, and thighs, using a wooden spoon and my fingers. The skin stays on, but you have to loosen it from the meat so that you can rub the cream cheese mixture in between. Finally, I began carefully spooning the cream cheese mixture under the skin...



but then I ended up using my hands too so that it spread more evenly.



I drizzled Italian dressing all over the bird, then brushed it around so that the chicken was evenly coated. After that, I popped her into a 375 degree oven for a couple of hours (cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken and your oven).



Next, I went to work on the potatoes. I cut about 2 lbs. of red potatoes into pieces, drizzled them with around 1/4 cup of Italian dressing and tossed with more rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then I arranged them in a baking dish and slid them into the oven right next to the chicken. I stirred them a couple of times while they cooked to insure even browning.



When the potatoes were tender and browned I removed them from the oven and stirred in 6 slices of crumbled bacon and 2 sliced green onions. I really liked these potatoes! If you've got any leftover, they would be really good fried up next to some eggs the next morning too!



When the chicken was finished baking, I transferred it to a serving platter and arranged the potatoes around it before serving. I am aware that the skin on my chicken got pretty dark, but the meat was perfectly done and juicy and the potatoes piled around the bird made for a nice presentation.



After we finished eating, I wrapped up what was left of the whole chicken and put it into our garage fridge. It's probably easier to pick the remaining meat from the bone while it's still warm, but we had places to go. This morning I picked off the remaining meat for a couple more meals, chicken tortilla soup and a chicken casserole. You can also bag the meat and freeze it for a later date. You can even boil the whole carcass for broth. The possibilities with a whole roasted chicken are endless!

Here's the recipe that adapted from Kraft Food & Family Fall 2007:

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

prep time 20 min total time 1 hr 45 min makes 6 servings

8 oz cream Cheese, softened
2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
salt, to taste
1 whole roasting chicken (3-1/2 lb.)
6 Tbsp.(or more) Italian Dressing, divided
2 lb. red potatoes (about 5), cut into 1-inch chunks
6 slices Bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
2 green onions, sliced

Make It

HEAT oven to 375°F.

MIX cream cheese, 1 tsp. rosemary, salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Starting at neck of chicken, use handle of wooden spoon or fingers to carefully separate skin from meat of the breast, thighs and legs of chicken, being careful to not tear the skin. Spoon cream cheese mixture under skin; use fingers to push and spread some of the mixture out to thighs and legs. Place chicken in shallow pan. Brush with 2 Tbsp. dressing.

TOSS potatoes with remaining dressing, rosemary and pepper in separate pan. Bake chicken and potatoes 1-1/4 hours or until chicken is done (165ºF), stirring potatoes every 30 min. and basting the chicken occasionally.

TRANSFER chicken to large serving dish, reserving juices in pan. Let chicken stand 10 min. Meanwhile, add bacon and onions to potatoes; mix lightly. Spoon around chicken in dish. Skim fat from reserved chicken juices in pan; discard. Spoon juices over chicken and potatoes.

Slow Cooker Short Rib Barbecue

I was very pleased with the way this beef barbecue recipe turned out! The sauce was delicious and this was an excellent way to use up my last package of beef short ribs from the freezer. My husband and my mom (staying with us for a weekend visit) were big fans too!

This is the 4th beef short rib recipe I've posted in the past 6 months. I found myself with an abundance of short ribs from the beef raised on my grandparent's farm. I've been working my way through each package in my freezer, trying out different recipes. While I have become an enthusiast of this fatty cut of meat that yields a super tender, flavorful, protein I was not sad to open this final package when preparing this yummy crock pot meal. Short ribs are time consuming. Mostly because it takes quite a bit of time to pick that mouth-watering meat away from the fat and bone that makes up a short rib. So, as I unwrapped these short ribs, I was thinking, "Yay! Last package of short ribs!" We've had a good run with recipes like The Pioneer Woman's Braised Short Ribs, Asian Braised Short Ribs, Korean Beef Short Rib Noodle Bowl, and now this BBQ recipe. Each recipe was completely delicious, but I was ready to focus on another cut of meat. Then, last Friday my mom arrived for a visit, bearing a whole cooler full of beef for our freezer. In the mix: 3 more packages of short ribs! I guess my quest to find new and wonderful ways to prepare short ribs will go on a little longer.



While this recipe spends most of it's time slow cooking in the crock pot, you do need to put in a little stove top time. First, shake the ribs in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper.



Then heat a half stick of butter in a skillet and brown the short ribs on all sides.



Remove the ribs to your crock pot.



Add the barbecue sauce ingredients to the drippings in the skillet: onion, garlic, beef broth, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, chili sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder. Stir the ingredients together and bring the mixture to a boil.



Pour the mixture over the short ribs, then cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.



I forgot all about mine until my husband called me during the class I teach at our church on Thursday nights. "Do you want me to turn off this crock pot?" he asked. Shoot. This is what I found when I returned home around 9 o'clock. These short ribs were definitely cooked!



They were still good, though. I picked the meat off of the bone and discarded all of the fat, then put the meat into the fridge. Next, I poured the cooking juices through a strainer and into a bowl. I refrigerated the strained sauce overnight too...so that I could easily skim off all of the fat. I always make my short ribs a day ahead of serving so that it's easier to remove the fat.



When dinner time rolled around on Friday night, a poured the thick, rich barbecue sauce over the pulled short ribs and re-heated them on the stove top.



This may just be our favorite slow cooker beef barbecue recipe. It certainly rivals our current favorite: Texas Beef BBQ. Soooo good!




Slow Cooker Barbecued Short Ribs from Taste of Home

12 Servings Prep: 25 min. Cook: 9 hours
Ingredients
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 to 4-1/2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
1/4 to 1/3 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups beef Broth
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
Directions
•In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and
pepper. Add ribs in batches and shake to coat. In a large skillet,
brown ribs in butter.

•Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker. In the same skillet, combine the
remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil;
pour over ribs.

•Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or until meat is tender. Yield:
12 servings.

*Note: This recipe would also work well with a 3-4 lb. beef roast.

Enjoy!

Meal Plan and Grocery List 10/18-10/24

Hello friends! I hope that the fall weather is just as beautiful wherever you are reading this from as it is here in Ohio. We spent the day taking full advantage of the gorgeous fall scenery while hiking. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped on this perfect October day:





As you read the meal plan, you'll notice that chicken is on the menu! I'm roasting a big chicken early in the week, and I hope to stretch it into 3 meals: Roasted Chicken, Tortilla Soup, and a casserole.

Here's the plan:


Monday October 18th

Slow Cooker BBQ Short Ribs (carried over from last week's plan)

Tuesday October 19th

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Wednesday October 20th

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday October 21st

Leftovers or Chicken Divan

Friday October 22nd

Pizza night!

Saturday October 23rd

We're going to a party...I haven't decided what I'm taking yet!

Sunday October 24th

Ham and Mushroom Risotto




Grocery List (including Chicken Divan and excluding pizza)

Produce

onion
garlic
2 lbs. red potatoes
green onions
cilantro
mushrooms
shallots

Meat

4 lbs beef short ribs
1 whole roasting chicken
6 slices bacon
1-1/2 cups cooked diced ham

Dairy

butter
cream cheese
shredded cheddar
5 oz. Asiago cheese

Canned Goods

beef broth
Worcestershire sauce
red wine vinegar
chili sauce
ketchup
Italian dressing
4-1/2 cups chicken broth + 3 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
cream of chicken soup
mayonnaise
lemon juice
dry white wine

Dry Goods

chili powder
flour
brown sugar
rosemary
oregano
cumin
tortilla chips
curry powder
bread crumbs
arborio rice

Freezer

10-16 oz package frozen broccoli

Pumpkin Corn Soup

This soup is low in calories, high in fiber, packed with nutrients, and easy to make! It's a super soup!



Pumpkin and corn...together? Why not? That's what I was thinking when I revisited this recipe from the October 2007 edition of Light & Tasty magazine. While I usually reserve pumpkin for dessert, it turns out that pumpkin can contribute to a delicious soup. Not only is this soup healthy, healthy, healthy...it was also really good! Hearty enough to stand on it's own, but definitely good with grilled cheese. At least that's the way my family ate this...with grilled cheese. I bet it would be excellent with corn bread too!

Here's how this soup began:

I sauteed a large diced onion and a chopped sweet red pepper in a couple of tablespoons of butter until just tender.



Then I added in 2 cups of corn, a finely chopped jalapeno pepper, minced garlic, and chili powder. Stir it all together and saute for a couple of minutes longer.



Next, I stirred in a can of solid pack pumpkin.



Followed by a little over 4 cups of chicken broth. The original recipe called for vegetable broth. I didn't happen to have any, but this would make for a wonderful vegetarian meal with the use of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. (I think mine simmered for closer to 30 minutes).



Squeeze in about 2 tablespoons of lime juice before serving. The lime really brightens the flavor.



I made this soup in the morning, when I wasn't so busy and re-heated it for a fast meal in the evening, when we were busy. Before re-heating, I separated a few cups out for the kids, and then I added a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), some cayenne pepper, and sea salt to the rest. (I knew that the kids wouldn't touch it if it were too spicy or if they spotted black beans). The soup was spicy enough with just the jalapeno, but the addition of cayenne added a nice additional layer of heat. The black beans added extra body to soup that made it hearty enough to be a meal all on it's own.

The verdict: My husband and I loved this. Our kindergartner tolerated it...she complained a bit, but still ate half of a bowl after we convinced her to take that first bite. And our toddler took one bite and turned up her nose. Fine with us, my husband and I each ate the leftovers for lunch today. Mmmm. Like most soups, I think this was even better the next day! In the future, I think I'll double the recipe and freeze half in individual serving portions. I love the idea of having such a healthy soup on hand for a quick lunch.



Pumpkin Corn Soup adapted from Light & Tasty Magazine

Makes: 7 Servings Prep: 20 min. Cook: 25 min.

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

•In a large saucepan, saute onion and red pepper in butter until almost tender. Add the corn, jalapeno, garlic and chili powder; saute 2 minutes longer.

•Stir in the broth, pumpkin, black beans, salt and cayenne until blended. Bring to
a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.

Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts (without the black beans): 1 cup equals 120 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 714 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber

If you're a Weight Watcher, this is only 2 points per cup!