Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is truly one of the easiest soups to throw together. As Autumn approaches, cooler temperatures bring opportunities to warm the kitchen, and comfort our appetites.

Easily altered, you don't have to stick to the exact recipe. In fact, this soup was the end result of picking five recipes from various cookbooks, then combining them, changing a few things, adding a few things and even eliminating certain ingredients that didn't make the cut.

Don't feel bad about changing the recipe. It is a great one to use when you're cleaning out the refrigerator and raiding the pantry. If you are lucky enough to have fresh Hatch green chilies, by all means, use fresh peppers.

If you would like to see a step-by-step tutorial with plenty of pictures, CLICK HERE

Prep the chicken:

3-4 boneless chicken breast halves or 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
(Our local meat market always mentions the fact that a breast is technically two halves)

Olive oil (yes, you can substitute vegetable oil)
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 In a small bowl, combine the following:

2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt (*) See note about sodium below
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I lay on the grinder with a heavy hand)

Remove all skin, bones and such from chicken breast, place breasts on a baking sheet. Sprinkle just a bit of the seasonings on both sides of the chicken, reserving the remaining spices. Bake at 350-375 degrees until chicken is completely cooked, or a meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees. Set aside to cool.

Optional cooking method for chicken: Cut raw chicken breast into small cubes, sprinkle with spice, and cook on a stove top with a bit of oil in the pot. When cooked, set chicken aside.
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Vegetable prep work:

1 medium or large onion - diced
1 whole jalapeno pepper - remove stems and veins, dice. I leave in the seeds for the look. 
1/2 cup poblano pepper - diced (substitution: 1/2 cup green bell pepper)
1/2 cup red bell pepper - diced
3-4 cloves of garlic - finely minced
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Canned goods:

10 oz. can of whole green chilies (do not drain)
10 oz. can of Original Rotel (do not drain)
11 oz. can of white corn (drained)
15 oz. can of black beans (drain and rinse)
28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (do not drain - I used Hunt's brand)
32 oz. carton of chicken broth  (I used low sodium, see note below *)

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* A note about sodium. 

My husband loves the salt shaker. No matter what I cook, his habit is to grab the shaker before even trying the food, but we've been working on this. I was very surprised that he not only tried the soup first, but then only added a little bit of salt. This is saying a lot, especially for someone with such tainted taste buds. We could all use a little less salt.

Though low-sodium chicken broth is used in this recipe, there is still plenty of sodium / salt in the soup. Consider lower sodium beans and perhaps even lower sodium tomatoes if you are watching your salt intake. If you just can't live without it, you can always salt your own bowl of soup instead of the entire pot.
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Cooking over medium heat, in the bottom of a large soup pot or heavy Dutch oven, drizzle a bit of olive or vegetable oil. Add all of the prepped vegetables, sprinkle with the leftover seasonings from the chicken breast. When the smell of the spices fill the air, (only a moment or two) add all of the canned and cartoned goods. Stir and allow to cook while you shred the chicken.

Shredding the chicken:

By now, the chicken may be cool enough to handle. You may cut the chicken into cubes if you wish, or shred the chicken by using two forks, pulling at the breast to create shredded pieces. Once the chicken has been prepped, add it to the soup. Reduce the temperature and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve when hot, sprinkling any of the following tidbits on top for a beautiful presentation:

Fresh avocado
Grated cheese (Don't fret, I used mozzarella. Suggested cheese: sharp cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey)
Fresh diced onions
Crumbled tortilla chips or strips
Freshly ground black pepper

Bon appetit!

Three Pepper and Pasta Soup

Three different peppers give this soup a kick, and with the addition of plenty of oregano, a good dose of extra virgin olive oil, and a quick glance in the produce drawer of your refrigerator, you should be able to toss together a soup that calls for seconds.

 My husband is one of those carnivore types, so I make a good number of little meatballs, seasoned with a dash of oregano and a sprinkle of Cavender's Greek Seasoning. If you are not currently using this fabulous seasoning, your life is missing something.

Just a few basics, like a carton of broth, an onion, and a can of tomatoes will get you started. Though the soup itself is delicious and filling, hubby and I put everything on a bed of pasta. Elbow macaroni, tiny shells, Ditalini, even barley. There are so many options!

• Pasta, if desired. Cook separately, coat lightly with olive oil and set aside. Time the cooking of your pasta so it is coming out of the pot hot when your soup is finished.

• Meatballs or cubes of chicken if desired, cooked and set aside

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic - minced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
• 2-3 jalapenos, stems removed, veined, seeded, diced)
• 1 or 2 orange or red bell peppers, stems removed, veined, seeded, diced)

• 32 ounce carton of broth (I use chicken broth)
• 1  28-ounce can of tomatoes. Do not drain. Use diced, or dice them if whole.
• 4 ounce jar of pimentos, drained

• Fresh oregano and / or dried oregano

Over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in a large pot with a heavy bottom. Add bell peppers and jalapenos, stirring well, allow to saute for about four minutes. Add celery, cook a few minutes longer. Add broth and tomatoes, stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add drained pimentos. If you choose to add cooked meat, you may add it now.

In a small saucepan, heat enough olive oil to coat several tablespoons of fresh oregano. I actually prefer to add both fresh and dried oregano to the olive oil. Saute the oil and oregano until the fresh oregano wilts and the kitchen is beginning to smell divine.

Pour the olive oil and oregano into the soup. Stir well. Serve alone, with bread, or over pasta.     

Don't be afraid to get creative. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Add sliced zucchini.
Use a red and an orange bell pepper.

Bon appetit!

Bean and Bacon (optional) Soup

I know what you're thinking, but no. Unfortunately, this is not the recipe for that famous red and white can.

It is, however, a quick and easy recipe that can be amended with ease to your tastes. Add bacon. Forget the bacon. Add carrots. Maybe celery. Add a bit of vegetable or chicken broth if you desire.

Though I'm not a big fan of cannellini beans, there were two cans in our pantry, and it seemed a shame to let them sit there going to waste. So, we toasted the remainder of a three-day old cornbread, tossed up a pot of soup, and we're full.

Scan your cupboards for other ingredients such as corn, even green chilies would taste fine in this multi-tasking soup.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light.

3 slices of bacon, chopped (optional for vegetarians)
1 cup of chopped onion
1 Tablespoon of chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of dry mustard powder
1 1/2 cups of water
1 Tablespoon of dark molasses
1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar
2 15-ounce cans of cannellini beans, or other white beans - DRAINED
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes with onions and garlic - UNDRAINED

 If including bacon, cook over medium-high heat until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, set aside. Reserve 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings in a sauce pan.

If going vegetarian, use 2-3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Over medium-high heat, combine onions in oil or drippings. Add chili powder and dry mustard, stir well, saute for three minutes. Stir in bacon and all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for seven minutes.

Remove the pan from heat. The original recipe calls for partially mashing some of the beans, but I did not feel this was necessary. To each his or her own.

Bon appetit!