Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here is an easy chicken tortilla soup. It would be perfect for the miserably cold weather we are having right now.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons butter
3 chicken breasts, diced
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes or 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 quart (32 ounce) reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For serving:
tortilla chips
diced avocado
monterey jack cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add chicken, onions, celery, and carrots and saute for 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Cook for 1 more minute. Add green chiles, tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, corn, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve with broken tortilla chips, avocado, and cheese.

Marinated Tri Tip

Here's a yummy marinade for tri tip steaks or roasts. I used a roast. It was so nice to prepare this a day ahead and have it ready to throw on the grill tonight! I didn't have any mushrooms so I left them out. I don't really like mushrooms anyway, but I'm sure for those who do like them they'd be a great addition to this recipe.

Marinated Tri Tip

2 1/2 pounds tri-tip beef steaks or one tri-tip roast
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
1 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 (12 oz.) can Sprite

1 (8-oz) package mushrooms, sliced

Stir together marinade ingredients. Pour into a large ziploc bag, then add steaks and onions. Marinate overnight. (You could do this step, then place the bag in the freezer. Before cooking, let thaw in refrigerator).

Remove steaks from marinade and grill for 5-10 minutes on each side (for roast it will take longer). While meat is grilling, strain onions from marinade. Place in non-stick skillet, add mushrooms, and cook over medium-high heat. Cook until mushrooms have softened. Serve sauteed mushrooms and onions with grilled steaks.

Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

I've never been much of an enchilada fan....but now I know that it's because I have never made these enchiladas. Both my husband and I agreed that these are the best enchiladas we have ever eaten!









Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas

For the Sauce:
4-6 anaheim chile peppers, stem removed, seeded, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (can use canned tomatoes)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
salt to taste

For the Enchiladas:
1 bag fresh spinach leaves (9 oz.)
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup milk
8 flour tortillas (I really love the uncooked ones that you cook yourself)
1/2 cup scallions, sliced (green only), optional

Saute chiles, onion, and garlic in 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until chiles and onions soften, about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. Simmer 2 minutes, stir in broth, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree in a blender.

Saute spinach for the enchiladas in 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until wilted (about 1 minute). Add chicken, corn, 1 cup of the pepper jack cheese, and milk. Simmer 3-5 minutes and season with salt.

To assemble, pour 1/2 cup sauce in the prepared baking dish. Divide the filling between the eight tortillas and roll. Place enchiladas in the dish, seam side down, then top with 1-2 cups sauce, leaving the edges dry. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortillas begin to brown on the edges. Garnish with scallions if desired. Warm remaining sauce and serve with enchiladas.

Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

I always love the idea of casseroles, but don't usually love the outcome. This, however, is a delicious casserole! I saw a recipe on another blog and made some modifications. I'm a big fan of wild rice (and so are my kids, as soon as they taste it and remember that "black rice" is good). I also love that you make your own sauce, instead of opening a can. Granted, I dirtied quite a few pots and pans to make this, but I think it was well worth it. I split the recipe in half, making one serving for tonight's dinner and putting the other half in the freezer for a meal in the future. Since it does use a few pans, I think next time I'll double it and make 4 meals! Hope you enjoy!

WILD RICE & CHICKEN CASSEROLE

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup brown rice
1 (6 ounce) box wild rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

extra cheese for topping


In a large pot, combine wild rice, brown rice, and 4 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer about 45-50 minutes until rice is done. Cook chicken breasts if necessary (I cook mine in chicken broth with a little bit of dried onion added).

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot. Saute onion, celery, and carrots until softened. Stir in chicken, rice, and seasonings.

In a separate pot, melt butter. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper (it will look like a thick paste). Cook for about 30 seconds, then slowly add chicken broth. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens and is almost boiling. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add to chicken & rice mixture then transfer to a 9x13 baking dish (I divided it into 2 8x8 pans). Top with a little extra grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Zucchini Carrot Pineapple Bread

This is a recipe that I found at my Grandma's house when I was a teenager. I made it for her, and she loved it. It's the perfect zucchini bread....moist and delicious instead of dry and boring. I love the addition of the carrots and pineapple. I'll post the original recipe with the modifications I make in parenthesis. My son begs me to make this for him whenever he sees the word zucchini!


Zucchini Carrot Pineapple Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil (I use 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup grated carrot
3 cups flour (I use 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, 3/4 cups all purpose)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional - I leave them out)
1/2 cup raisins (optional - I usually leave them out too)

Beat together eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in grated zucchini, crushed pineapple, and grated carrot. Mix together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to wet ingredients and stir until moistened. Gently fold in nuts and raisins, if desired. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans (filling 1/2 to 2/3 full) and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Banana Bread

A few weeks ago my mom gave me a bunch of bananas that were turning brown. What to do with leftover bananas? Make banana bread! I've had a recipe that I've used over and over again, but tried a new one this time. I made some healthy changes (sometimes I'm in the mood for full fat deliciousness, other times I'm a little more health conscious). I'll post my healthier recipe, and if anyone wants the original, not as healthy, version let me know!

The thing I love about this recipe is that you bake the bread at 300 degrees. I thought this was really strange since almost all quick breads call for a 350 degree oven, but I found that 300 degrees worked wonderfully. I didn't get the super dark crust that eventually turns hard like most banana breads. It was moist and wonderful, despite all the whole wheat flour that I put in it. We ate a loaf right away and froze the rest. It freezes perfectly.

Banana Bread

5 large ripe bananas
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In mixing bowl, beat eggs; add bananas and beat until smooth. Add butter, applesauce, and sugar and mix well. Add flour, soda and salt to combine. Pour into 3 greased (8x4") loaf pans and bake at 300 degrees for 60-65 minutes, or into 2 greased large (9x5") loaf pans for 75 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

Sausage Minestra Soup

Here's a soup that would make my mother in law proud. You see, I am not a big fan of spicy foods. I don't know if I'm a supertaster or what, I just can't tolerate things that are too spicy. My mother-in-law has a good friend from Bali and he makes this chicken that can set your mouth on fire. He tames it down when we're in town (but it still is spicy for me!). After all these years of eating the food he prepares, my mother-in-law probably has a hard time eating the mellow foods I usually cook. I've been branching out the last few years and trying some recipes with a little extra spice. I found this soup in a Cuisine at Home special magazine called Splendid Soups. As always, there's a few changes, but I think this is a quick easy soup that's sure to warm you up on a cold day!

Oh and trust me, it tastes better than it looks. I served this to my husband the other day and he raved about it. He says he'd rather eat this than go out!

Sausage Minestra Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds link Italian sausage, sliced into 1" thick pieces
3 cups diced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (decrease if you're like me and don't like things too spicy)
6 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (or 3 cups fresh seeded, diced tomatoes)
3/4 cup dry orzo pasta
4 1/2 cups fresh chopped spinach

Saute sausage in olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until browned (make sure to brown it well). Add onion, garlic, and seasonings; cook until the onion is soft. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and deglaze pan. Add remainder of the broth, tomatoes (pureed in food processor if desired), and orzo. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Stir in spinach until wilted. Serve with parmesan croutons on top.

To make parmesan croutons: Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Toast 3 cups cubed baguette pieces in oil until crisp. Off heat, toss with 1/2 cup grated parmesan and set aside.

Michelle's note: I'm wierd and I don't really like chunks of tomatoes in my soups. I usually just throw the canned tomatoes in my food processor for a minute to puree them a bit.