Chicken Taco Soup

A member of my book club made this for book club the other night and I had to try it. I made some changes to the recipe she used as I thought I might like it a bit spicier. It is also pretty unusual for me to make something with so many canned goods, but having tasted it, I knew I could make it work.

1 onion chopped

1 16oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 16oz can of chili beans

1 can whole kernel corn (drained and rinsed)

1 80z can of tomato sauce

2 cans of rotel (I got the spicy ones with habaneros, but you can use the cans with diced green chilis if you have a delicate palate)

1 package of taco seasoning (again I used the spicy version)

3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

Place all ingredients except the chicken in a crock pot on low heat. Stir ingredients to mix in the taco seasoning well. Place the chicken on top of the soup and press down just enough to lightly cover the chicken. Cover and cook for five hours. Remove chicken from soup and shred. Return shredded chicken to the pot and cook for 2 more hours. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips – you could also top with sour cream if desired.  The soup turned out well. You could certainly speed the process by cooking this on the stove top and poaching the chicken in broth, and then shredding it and throwing it in the pot. Either way, it is a good meal on a cold day and we have had our fair share of those as of late here in Savannah.  I found the base for this recipe on allrecipes.com.

 

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Red Curry Vegan Stew

I say vegan…I didn’t intend it to be vegan, but I think it adheres to those rules – if not, it is definitely vegetarian. This is a delicious meal…always a crowd-pleaser.  In a dutch oven or other deep pan saute 1/2 medium onion with a bit of olive oil add three or four cubed red potatoes – I like to leave the skin on. Stir onions and potatoes together. Add a heaping tablespoon of red curry paste. I use the Thai Kitchen brand. Add about a 1/2 cup of water so that the paste loosens up a bit. Add a can of stewed tomatoes. Simmer until potatoes are almost soft. Add chopped broccoli or whatever other veggies you have on hand. Simmer until all veggies and potatoes are done. Serve over rice.

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thai chicken soup

thai chicken soup

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

I’m gonna confess right up front that this recipe is a total cheat. But it is so fast, and so good, that I will do it many, many more times!

I found this recipe in the January 2009 issue of “Real Simple” magazine. The article was about short cuts to quick meals using things you probably have in your pantry.

There was a section on chicken noodle soup- things you can make using canned chicken noodle soup. I decided to give one of the ideas a try. I’m not sure how the soup got in the pantry, because I don’t like canned chicken soup, but it was there, nonetheless.

Here’s the recipe:

Thai Coconut Soup

2 14 oz. cans of chicken noodle soup
1/2 c. coconut milk (I used more)
2 t. fresh lime juice
Chopped cilantro

You bring the soup and coconut milk to a simmer, then stir in the lime juice. Ladle it in bowls and stir in chopped cilantro. I wanted mine to have more kick, so I also added a healthy dose of Sriracha hot sauce.

I was using store brand, regular chicken noodle soup. Next time I will find an organic, lower sodium type, and it will probably be even better. But really- this was good. I expected it to be ok, but it was really good. Even Devin liked it, so it must have hit the mark!

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Potato Soup

I love soup. Especially potato soup.

The last few potato soup recipes I’ve tried have left me flat. So when I checked out the “New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant” book from the library, I was hesitant to try the potato soup recipe.

Luckily, I threw caution to the wind and tried it anyway, and I’m so glad I did.

Very Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup from “New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant.”

3 to 4 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 large potatoes, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, coarsely chopped (I added this- it isn’t in the recipe)
3 cups veggie stock or water (I used 2 cups chicken stock plus 1 cup white wine)
1 teaspoon dried dill (2 tablespoons of fresh)
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups milk (or part cream)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar (3 ounces)
salt and black pepper to taste
fresh or dried parsley for garnish

In a large soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery and saute for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Add the stock or water (or wine) and dill and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.
Puree the veggies with the cream cheese and milk in a blender or food processor. Return the soup to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheddar cheese and reheat gently.
Serve each cup or bowl garnished with parsley.

This soup was delicious…and even better the next day. When I rewarmed it, I had to add more milk because it thickened up in the fridge. This was excellent with a piece of parmesan toast and a simple spinach salad…

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Turkey Remix Part One

turkey poblano corn chowder

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

What do you do with leftover turkey???

I’m figuring that out as I try to use up the gallon zip lock bag of turkey Dev’s Mom sent us home with after Christmas.

I don’t really like turkey. But so far I’ve found ways to use it that have turned out really well. Take this soup, for example.

It’s actually based on a Paula Deen recipe for Chicken Poblano Chowder. I just subbed turkey for the chicken and added a few other ingredients. The soup is easy to make and it tastes even better the next day.

Here’s what I did…

I chopped up a small onion, 2 stalks of celery, 2 onions, 2 carrots and one medium sized poblano pepper. I sauteed them in olive oil in my dutch oven for about 10 minutes. I added a tablespoon or so of chicken gravy mix (the recipe called for chicken boullion, but I hate that stuff), then deglazed the pan with a little bit of white wine. Then came half a bunch of chopped fresh cilantro. I added 4 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of water and let it cook for another ten minutes or so, for the veggies to get nice and tender. After that, I added about 2 cups of chopped leftover turkey and half a bag of frozen corn. I let the turkey and corn warm through, then in a skillet I melted a quarter stick of butter, then added 1/2 a cup of flour and made a roux. I cooked it for about 3 minutes, then added a ladle full of the cooking liquid. After it was incorporated, I dumped the contents of the skillet into the pot of soup. I let it come up to a bubble to thicken, then took it off the heat and added 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

When I served it, I garnished with chopped avocado, chopped cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese.

This was really good. A lot of chopping, but the taste was outstanding.

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Chili

Chili

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I took advantage of a cloudy day with relatively low temps to sneak in one last pot of chili before it gets hot as blazes here for the summer. Nothing too special here – I used ground turkey, onion, chili beans, tomatos and lots of spices. I couldn’t honestly tell you the recipe for my chili as I make it so often I just sort of go by memory. It is good chili though and something to keep in mind if you are in a cooler climate or you want some early ideas for fall. I didn’t actually eat any of it yet as I made something else for dinner and part of the reason I made this was so that my Grandmother can put some in her freezer since she was nice enough to give me her perfectly seasoned cast iron dutch oven…its the least I could do really.

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Lettuce Soup

Lettuce Soup

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I had a lot of salad stuff that was getting close to going bad so this was my solution. It was pretty tasty, but honestly hard to get an appealing picture of – trust me – it was tasty. 

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onions, scallions, and/or shallots
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander (I had cumin so threw that in instead)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup diced (1/3 inch) peeled potato
8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce leaves including ribs (3/4 lb)
3 cups water

I had some various and sundry other types of lettuce as well so I threw those in and also add some hot sauce and worschester sauce.

Preparation
Cook onion mixture and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add coriander, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in potato, lettuce, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is very tender, about 10 minutes.
Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and transfer to a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Bring soup to a simmer, then whisk in remaining tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste.

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Lentil Soup

 

 Ok- I promised I would make this soup and I did.  And I’m happy I did because it is really good.  It doesn’t get much easier than chopping stuff up and throwing it in a crock pot and letting it fester over night.  I put this together around 9pm last night and we had it for lunch today about 12:30.  Here is the recipe the way it appeared on one of my favorite food blogs, Apron Strings and Simmering Things.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

1 bag dry lentils
1 c.sliced carrot
1 c. sliced celery
1 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
3 1/2 c. chicken broth or veggie broth or beef broth
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans organic tomatoes Muir Glen is best.
1 bag frozen spinach
1 tsp chopped dried chipotle

1 package of pasta, cooked
salt/pepper to taste

Rinse lentils. In crock pot place lentils, carrot, spinach, celery, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, cumin, cilantro thyme, and bay leaf. Stir in broth and undrained tomatoes. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Discard bay leaf. Add pasta and stir in. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes more.

Now let me tell you what I really did.  First confession- I didn’t measure anything.  Second confession- I left the chipotle out because Dev has had a tummy virus and I didn’t think the spice would sit well with him.  Third confession- I didn’t even thaw the frozen spinach- I dropped the square shaped mass of frozen chopped spinach right on top of everything else in the crock pot, threw on the cover and went to bed.  And despite all these transgressions- it still turned out to be really good soup.  Next time I do it (and there will be a next time) I will double up on the tomatoes and I will add more chicken stock. 

I highly recommend this for a hearty lunch on a cold, windy day.  Actually, I’d eat it anytime- we just have more than our share of cold windy days around here.

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Lunch

IMG_0548

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

It’s finally here! I am the proud owner of a new Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT.
Here is a pic of my lunch. Dev and I went to Milagro’s, a little coffee shop here in town.
I’m starting my Christmas baking today- I will tackle Earl Grey Tea Cookies. I’m sure I will document the process (I am trying to figure out this rather complicated new gadget). Hopefully the pics won’t suck too badly.

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Lamb Stew

In spite of my killer schedule this week (for more on that visit my other blog), I managed to cook one impressive dinner.

 Thursday night I made lamb stew.  I found the recipe in an old paperback cookbook on my cookbook shelf.  I more or less followed the recipe, but made a few changes.  It was pretty easy.

 I browned a pound of lamb stew meat in a tablespoon of vegetable oil.  I removed the meat and diced a small onion and 3 cloves of garlic.  After a few minutes of sauteing(sp), I added 2 tablespoons of ketchup (the recipe called for tomato paste, but I didn’t have any), ground coriander, the last of some ground ancho chilies, dried oregano and a little cumin.  I put the meat back in and added 2 cups of beef broth (the recipe called for water, but I had the beef broth leftover in the fridge) and a splash of wine.  I then threw in 2 diced new potatoes, 3 small carrots, diced, and half a small bag of frozen white corn.  I let it simmer away for about 1 hour, then thickened it up with a little butter mixed with flour.  I then made some cornmeal dumplings (white cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, butter and a little milk) and dropped them on the top and put the lid back on and let them cook for about 15 minutes.

This was really tasty.  Not exactly the quickest meal in the world, but adaptable to the crock pot.  I will definitely do this again.

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