Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

My good friend, Katie shared the original recipe with me.  I added a few things and this has turned into a much-loved family favorite dinner.  My husband went from being a "Please NEVER feed me soup for dinner!" kinda guy to a "Hey, do you think you could make that chicken tortilla soup for dinner tonight?" kinda guy.  The secret is in the chipotle pepper.  

It's SO good.  It's very filling.  ...and It's perfect for warming your belly in January.  


Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 T Oil
1 lb Bone-In, Skin-on Chicken Breast and Thighs
8 cups water
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 (14 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1-2 chipotle peppers
1-2 tsp adobo sauce (chipotle peppers usually are canned in adobo sauce)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
1 can black beans (optional)

Topping:
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
Sour Cream
Cilantro


There are two ways to make the broth.  The alternative, time-saving method is listed below the recipe instructions.


In a large soup pot, brown the chicken on both sides in oil on medium-high heat.  Once chicken is deep brown, pour water in the pot, covering the chicken completely.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat back to medium-high and let the chicken boil for about 20 minutes (semi covered), or until the meat falls off of the bone easily.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Remove skin and discard.  Shred the remaining chicken meat and set aside.  


In blender, combine the onion, garlic, cilantro, and ONE can of the tomatoes.  

Also, ladle into the blender enough (semi-cooled) soup broth to help the ingredients blend.  Pour blended mixture into soup pot containing chicken broth.  

Add the remaining can of tomatoes, shredded chicken, chipotle pepper(s) and adobo sauce to the pot.

  

Chipotle Pepper

If you like, also add corn and beans.  Let soup simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes and serve with toppings.  

An alternative method for preparing the chicken broth is to simply use a store-bought broth or bouillon concentrate and already-cooked chicken.  

(Chicken Stock Concentrate - 'Better Than Bouillon' Brand)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to Katie for this delicious recipe!

Oregano Overload Greek Salad

Oregano is a rich source of Vitamin K and Omega-3's.  However, what first brought my attention to this aromatic herb was McCormick's free recipe booklet I picked up in the grocery store.  It's a mini flip-book, centered around the antioxidant value of specific herbs and spices.  

Antioxidant POWERHOUSES in order of strength:

CINNAMON, OREGANO, TURMERIC, CURRY, GINGER, THYME, PAPRIKA, 
ROSEMARY, GARLIC POWDER

Some recipes included are Mango-Blueberry Cobbler, Orange-Ginger Beef Stir-Fry, and Citrus Salmon. Mmm!

In my hunt for more recipes using oregano, I came up with this delicious Greek salad.  

It calls for lots of flavorful oregano which makes for a meal like you'd find in a restaurant.  

Salad:
5 Cups Romaine Lettuce, torn
1 Cup Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 Cup Cucumber, skin removed, quartered and sliced
1 Cup Tomatoes, sliced
1/2 Cup Black Olives, pitted
1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese


Dressing:
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Salt
2 T Olive Oil


Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine first four dressing ingredients and slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly.  Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss.  Garnish with optional pepperoncinis.
Enjoy!

Here's another way I salad...

Raw Strawberry Avocado Mango Salad

Raw Strawberry Mango Avocado Salad

This sweet, summery salad is juicy and so flavorful - just delicious on top of some baby spinach.

My good friend tried an intriguing diet this summer.  She saw the documentary, "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" about a man on a mission to lose a considerable amount of weight to reverse his obesity-related symptoms. He lost 100 lbs in eight weeks, eating a raw, fruits and vegetables-only diet.  Most of his meals came from juicing.  After the weight loss, his auto-immune disorder disappeared and he felt great.

(

I found this little tool for hulling strawberries.  

If you're working with lots of strawberries, it's a big help!)

Sooooo, my friend decided to go on a lighter version of his diet.  She ate only fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts for three weeks.  She juiced most of her meals and found new ways to prepare dinners (lots of salads).

love LOVE my new citrus juicer!

Right in the middle of her diet, she was supposed to come on over to our house for a play date.  She offered to bring her own lunch and I said, "No!".  She didn't want to inconvenience me by requiring a raw lunch.  I was up for the challenge and came up with this crazy delicious lunch (with no specific measurements).

LIME juice mmm!

If your avocado looks like mush after trying to remove the seed,
here's an easier way to SEED AN AVOCADO:

Strawberry Mango Avocado Salad
2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped
2 firm avocados, chopped
2 mangos, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime

Mix all of these goodies together in a large bowl and let them sit in the fridge for a few hours.  When you're ready to serve, eat it as is or place a few scoops of the fruit salad on top of some salad greens and top with walnuts and balsamic dressing (and hunks of goat cheese if you're feeling naughty!).

This is one of my favorite summer lunches now.  I'm glad she inspired me to think raw.  On a side note, my friend lost 15 lbs in three weeks.  Food tastes so much better to her now.  She's slowly added back whole grains and some small amounts of meat.  She said the three weeks of detox was exactly the boost she needed to change the way she eats and thinks about food.  Great job, girlfriend!

And, here's another way I salad:

Oregano Overload Greek Salad

Easier Way to Seed an Avocado

The avocado seed can be such a pain to remove.  Then, once it's out, I feel bad for just throwing it away.  I recently found an easy seed removal technique AND a way to preserve it - even how to use it in my decor as a house plant.  

For the longest time, I've tried to dig the seed out with a spoon.  It's messy and frustrating.  One night I was watching Food Network before bed (bad idea if you're watching your weight!) and saw Giada cut and seed an avocado in seconds.  First, she cut it in half and then here's what she did...

It was like a karate chop with a large knife, a twist, and it popped out with ease.  I love how it left the flesh in tact.  

Here's another way to seed an avocado, cutting it into quarters.

What to do with that seed?  

Check out avocado.org for more info about growing an avocado tree or just training it as a house plant.  


There are a lot of avocado gadgets available - who knew?
I need to get one of these avocado slicers for the next step.

...and then there's the avocado storage...

I recently made a fresh summery salad recipe using avocados.  It's a new favorite around here. 

Raw Strawberry Avocado Mango Salad

Sick-of-Soy (A Better Meat Alternative)

Sugar Bananas has moved!  Click here for this post on the new and improved www.SugarBananas.com

Pressed Homemade Tortillas

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White Lasagna Roll-Ups

It was late in the afternoon and I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner so I searched the fridge for anything that would work well together.  I came up with this and it was a huge success.  The kiddos gobbled up every last bit and asked for more. 

It was too easy and delicious to keep it to myself so here ya go!

12 Lasagna Noodles

1/3 lb Ham, fully cooked, thinly sliced, then diced

1 cup Ricotta Cheese

1 Egg

8 oz frozen, chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce

While noodles are boiling, prepare the filling in a large bowl.  Combine the rest of the ingredients except for the spaghetti sauce. 

Spray an 8x8" baking dish with Pam.  Divide the filling mixture with your spoon into 12 equal portions.  Place one cooked noodle flat on your work surface.  Spoon one portion of filling along the length of the noodle and roll it closed.  Stand it upright in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining noodles.  Pour the spaghetti sauce over the tops, cover with foil, and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. 

This would be even MORE delicious with mozzarella added to the filling!

I love when a last minute fix turns into a great meal.

Crispy, Chewy, Salty, Cheesy!

So there I was - catching up on some of my favorite blogs when I saw it.  I can't help myself.  I'm like a moth to a flame when I see a post about crusty, chewy bread. 

Kimba over at A Soft Place to Land found this recipe in the New York Times and raved about he results.  I've never baked bread in a pot so I had to try this. 

It turned out to be DELICIOUS!  Exactly what I was craving!  Crusty, yet chewy crust and a bubbly and chewy inside. 

This is my new favorite homemade bread recipe. 

Don't let the no-kneading turn you away.  Apparently, bread can be made without kneading and still turn out delicious (in fact, even better than the traditional method)!

Once it was done and slightly cooled,

I sliced the bread and topped it with swiss:

shaved ham:

parmesan:

and let it hang out under the broiler for a few minutes:

mmm!  Crunchy, chewy, salty, cheesy!

Bacon-Topped Corn Chowder

Sugar Bananas has moved!  Click here for this post on the new and improved www.SugarBananas.com

Panko Parmesan Tomatoes

Oh, these are perfect for a light, end-of-summer meal.  I'm usually game for anything with tomatoes and cheese - and these were delicious!

I sliced a few roma tomatoes in half and placed them on a greased baking pan.  Next, I covered them with olive oil, panko crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, and of course GARLIC!

They spent a few minutes under the broiler just until browned and bubbly. 

You could also do this in a toaster oven under the broiler setting if you're only making a few.

Along with a baked potato,

this was a nice, light dinner.