Why-the-Chicken-Crossed-the-Road Santa Fe-Tastic Tortilla Soup

Why-the-Chicken-Crossed-the-Road Santa Fe-Tastic Tortilla Soup
From Rachael Ray's recipes posted on Food Network.

This soup has quite the name but it delivers fantastically. We found ourselves going back for seconds and the boys couldn't get enough of it, so it's definitely a keeper. It makes quite a bit, but not to worry the leftovers are just as delicious, I hope you enjoy. I think next time to speed the recipe up a little bit, we will just use chicken leftover from a whole chicken that we have a night before. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Ingredients

Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons -- 2 turns of the pot in a slow stream (We used olive oil)
3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted
1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
1 pound chicken breast tenders(We used 2 chicken breast sliced thin to cook faster)
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
Salt and pepper
1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (medium to hot heat level), chopped -- available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section of market(I just used what green chiles
1 can stewed tomatoes, 28 ounces
1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
3 cups chicken stock (unfortunately, I didn't have any on hand so I just used chicken broth)
4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (I omitted this)

Optional garnishes:
1/4 red raw onion, chopped (We used green onions-scallions)
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.
While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.
Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
from Brittany at The Sisters' Cafe
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.
**A quick tip for fast and easy shredded chicken in place the chicken in the crockpot for about 4-6 hours and it easily shreds with two forks**

****I think next time because our family loves garlic and onions I am going to saute the chicken in garlic and onions.****

Taco Taco

Corn Tortillas(small ones)
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
taco seasoning

Take the ground chicken and a little bit of the taco seasoning and mush it together then roll it in a ball. Take a butter knife and spread it on the tortilla (like peanut butter) and place in a pan with olive oil and cook for 2-3 seconds (don't wait too long or it will harden) and fold like a taco to cook the remaining taco meat. Place on paper towel to cool.

Add your favorite toppings: lettuce, black beans, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, avocado, green onion, and olives.

Very quick and yummy dinner.

Lentil Tacos

A healthy alternative to ground meat, plus a way to use up the dried beans. I went ahead and took the suggestion from Deceptively Delicious Taco recipe and added 1/2 can (140z) of crushed tomatoes with their juice and 1/2 cup and sweet potato, carrot, or butternut squash puree, and it was absolutely delicious. The original recipe is from Runner's World recipes.

1 cup onions, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup brown lentils, dry
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup water or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins,
minced1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping
8 6-inch corn tortillas
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauted onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.Serves four.

Calories: 390Fat: 6 gCarbs: 69 gProtein: 18 g

Shrimp Enchiladas with Cilantro-Lime Rice

I am very glad to be branching out because these shrimp enchiladas were incredible. I don't know where to begin to describe the deliciousness inside these enchiladas - suffice it to say, they are cheesy and creamy with a subtle kick and you will not be disappointed with the results.

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided (you can use half pepper-jack cheese for great results)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
8 (9-inch) flour tortillas

Saute red pepper, onion and green pepper in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute shrimp and 1/2 cup onion until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp and chop; return to butter and onion. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.



I served this with fresh salsa and chips and Cilantro-Lime rice, see recipe below

This rice is so easy and so yummy

1. 2 tablespoons butter
2. 1 1/4 cups rice
3. 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
4. 3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6. juice and zest of 1 large lime
7. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
8. 1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.