Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hmm...I just noticed that my last post was for Chicken Enchiladas as well. It must be a Fall Seasonal dish for me! :)

Anyway, I was trying to come up with a simple meal to eat before Thanksgiving, since I knew we would be stuffed full of fantastic meals for the holiday weekend. This soup is really easy and not very time consuming, so it was perfect for us. As teachers, we are particularly busy right before Thanksgiving, so this was a nice, simple, and light meal to eat before gorging on Thursday.

I think the thing that makes this soup fantastic is the many options of toppings. The soup itself is so simple that you can add any amount of toppings, and as you can see from my picture, I did not hesitate to go "topping-crazy".

What I loved: the creamy, simple soup combined with crunchy tortilla slices, avocados, a spicy jalapeno crunch, and sharp cheddar cheese. YUM!

Ingredients:
*2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on if you like a more broth-type soup...I used 4 cups)
*6 (6 inch) CORN tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
*1 can (10 oz.) green enchilada sauce
*1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
*10-15 oz. red enchilada sauce (if you add 4 cups of chicken broth, add 15 oz. sauce)
*1-3 tsp. cumin (depending on your taste desires)
*1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your taste desires)
*shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken OR 3 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1-1.5 cups half-in-half

Optional Topping Ideas:
*2-4 CORN tortillas, cut into strips, and fried in olive oil with a dash of salt until crispy (dry on paper towel)
*1 tomato, seeded and chopped
*1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
*1 avocado, seeded, peeled and chopped
*1 bunch of green onion, diced
*sharp cheddar shredded cheese
*spoonfuls of sour cream

Directions:
1) Combine the 2 cups of chicken broth and the 6 tortillas (cut up) to a large soup pot. Cook over medium heat until the strips soften (and almost dissolve) and the broth thickens. At this point, decide if the broth is too thick for your liking. If you like a thick soup, leave the way it is. If you like a more broth-based soup, add the other 2 cups of chicken broth.
2) Stir in the enchilada sauces, green chilies, and spices. Heat until combined on medium heat. Then add the chicken and half-in-half and heat through (be careful not to cook on high heat so you do not scald the half-in-half!) Taste and add more enchilada sauce or half-in-half to your preference.
3) When thoroughly heated, pour the soup into the bowls. Add your preferred toppings and enjoy! Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4-6 servings.

Comments:
**The first day we ate this soup, I forgot to chop up the jalapeno. The soup tasted great without it, just a bit on the mild side. The next day, I remembered the jalapeno and it made the soup much spicier and also gave it a bit of a crunch that I really liked. Both ways were delicious, so it's up to you if you like spicy food or not.

**I used ALL of the toppings mentioned and I really think it's what makes this soup really delicious. So I highly recommend using all of the toppings. If you add different toppings and find it makes the soup taste good, please let me know what you use! I love trying new things.

*I used most of a rotisserie chicken for this soup. This really helped me save time. Seriously, I think by the time I chopped the toppings and warmed the soup, only 20 minutes went by, and I chop things VERY slowly. So this is really a quick meal that lasts a few days.

Chicken "Enchiladas"

I am surprised that I have not posted this recipe earlier. This is one of me and Paul's favorite meals, and yet, I have not made it for over a year.

That should not be much of a surprise since I LOVE trying out new recipes rather than getting 'stuck in a rut' with the same ole recipes all the time. We used to make this recipe all the time when we were first married and dirt poor. It was our "fancy meal" in order to get away from onion soup, potato soup, and whatever else was super cheap. We always knew this would be delicious, so it was hard to spend money on a new recipe when this one was SO GOOD.

Anyway, it was time to make this old favorite of ours, and once again it was a winner. I found this recipe in a cookbook called: Taste of Home's Favorite Brand Name Recipes, 2003. Technically, the recipe calls them "Chicken Enchiladas", but I don't see how the term 'Enchiladas' can be used for this particular recipe because it has little in common with ordinary 'enchiladas' meals. However, I can't think of another title for this recipe, so I am using the name of the original. For now. If you can think of a good name for this meal, I will use it and give you credit! :)

What I love about this recipe: creamy chicken and green pepper insides, with a creamier velveeta topping, with a salsa on top to make it even better. Yum...

Ingredients:
*2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken
*1 green pepper, chopped and deseeded
*1 - 1.5 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cubed
*1-2 cups of salsa, divided
*8 flour tortillas
*8 ounces velveeta, cut up
*1/4 cup milk
*4 oz. can of green chilies (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix the chicken, green pepper, cream cheese, and 1 cup-ish of the salsa in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Cook over low heat until the cream cheese is melted.
3) Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and roll up. Place the tortillas seam-side down in a lightly greased 9x13 or 11x7 baking dish.
4) Mi the velveeta and milk and green chilies (optional) in a small saucepan, cook over low heat until the velveeta is completely melted. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Pour over the enchiladas and cover the dish with foil.
5) Bake for 20  minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with remaining salsa. Enjoy!

Comments:
*I usually use one 8oz. package of cream cheese and then a few huge spoonfuls of veggie cream cheese that I always buy that week for bagels. This works great and I like the extra taste the veggie cream cheese adds to the dish. However, plain cream cheese works great too.

*I added green chilies to the velveeta topping last time and I really liked how it tasted. It gives the meal an extra spicy kick. I will be doing this from now on, though I also know from experience that it tastes fine plain as well.

*If I am concerned that there is not enough chicken mixture to fill all 8 tortillas, I simply add extra chicken and salsa to the mixture as I fill the tortillas up, and it tastes great. This is an easy mixture to add on to in order to make it last.

*This makes 8 tortillas, which feeds us for 2 days. If you add a sidedish, though, this meal could easily feed up to 8 people, because the chicken mixture is rather filling.

Mango Salsa

Okay, I need to be perfectly clear here. Before I made this mango salsa, I HATED the concept of a fruity salsa. Just the thought of fruit being mixed with peppers made my stomach cringe and my eyes roll in disgust. I tried a mango salsa once. I took one TINY bite and dramatically spit it out on the ground. Of course, that was back in the day when I was dramatic...which is, um, not a problem anymore. :)

Anyway, I made this mango salsa to please my husband. He always went on about how much he loved it and how he wished I wasn't so weird about it. I figured that since I was making an Avocado Salsa because I love feta and avocado, I should also make a salsa that my hubby would enjoy. So I forced myself to make this recipe. The whole time that I was preparing it, I kept thinking about how crazy people are to enjoy such random foods mixed together. And then I tried it.

Words cannot describe the tastiness of this salsa. I can't explain it because I still can't believe that I liked it. I liked it so much that I ate 1/4 of the container of it before letting my husband know that it existed. Oops. :) If you read the ingredients and think it sounds weird/gross/etc., I highly recommend that you try it anyway. I hope you love it as much as me. I will certainly be making this again. I got this recipe from foodiewithfamily, a blog on cooking that I check often for ideas. She has nice pictures of how to prepare the mangos, check it out here. Otherwise, here are the ingredients and directions if you are already a pro when it comes to mangos.

Ingredients:
*2-3 mangos
*1/4-1/2 red onion, diced small
*2-3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced small
*2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
*1 large handful of cilantro OR parsley OR half of each, washed and chopped
*the juice of one lime OR one orange OR 1/4 cup of lime/orange juice OR some combination
*1 tsp. kosher salt
*ground pepper to taste
*tortilla chips

Directions:
1) Prepare the mangos so that you end up with as much mango flesh as possible, diced and put in a large bowl. You can look up directions easily on google or check out the link above.
2) Add the red onion, jalapenos, and garlic. Use gloves when handling the jalapenos if your skin is sensitive.
3) Add the cilantro/parsley, juice of a lime/orange, and salt and pepper. Mix together, taste and add spices/juices as desired. Enjoy!

Comments:
1) The only problem we had with the original recipe was that she added an entire red onion to the salsa. I added only half of an onion, thought it looked like too much, and stopped there. Paul still said that the salsa would have been better with LESS onion. I think you should eyeball your bowl and decide for yourself how much onion you want in your salsa. Next time, I will add more mango and use a little less than half of an onion.
2) I used a combination of parsley and cilantro for this salsa. It was very good! However, decide for yourself if you like one over the other. Parsley is more mild tasting than cilantro.
3) I used the juice of one super tiny lime and also added a splash of orange juice. The end result was a beautiful blend of orange and lime (aka sweet and tart) to this amazing salsa...yum
4) If you are hesitant about using jalapenos because you like milder foods, I assure you that this actually isn't that spicy of a salsa! It's weird. When I used two whole jalapenos for this recipe, I kept thinking about how my mouth was going to be on fire when I tried it. However, the orange juice and mangos do something magical to the recipe so that the jalapenos are a perfect addition and not as spicy as usual.  
5) I warn you now: this salsa is very addicting. Don't expect it to last more than one night! :)

Avocado Feta Salsa

Ahh, summer. The time when all I feel like eating is light meals full of veggies and fruits. :)  One day, I was craving homemade salsa for dinner. All I wanted was a few options of sauces to dip some tortilla chips in. I looked up a few recipes and decided to share them here so that I remember them for future cravings.

This particular salsa was delicious! So good in fact, that my husband has been hinting that I should make it again....soon. :) This is not a problem to me! This recipe was easy to make and I loved it almost as much as him.

What I love: While I do wish this salsa looked prettier, the tasty blend of tomatoes, avocados, red wine vinegar, and feta cheese was an amazing combination that I have never had before! This unique blending of foods made it very addicting.

Ingredients:
*2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped and seeded
*2-3 avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
*1/4-1/2 red onion, diced
*1-3 cloves of garlic, minced
*1 handful of cilantro OR parsley OR some of both, chopped
*1 tbsp. olive oil
*1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
*4-6 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
*tortilla chips

Directions:
1) In a bowl, gently stir the tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Add the cilantro/parsley and gently stir. Add the olive oil and vinegar and gently stir. Add the feta cheese and gently stir. Taste and add spices to preference. Chill in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

Comments:
*I did a combo of both parsley and cilantro due to the hubby's aversion to cilantro. It was delicious. I leave it up to you to decide which you prefer or how you combine them. I bet it will taste good no matter what. :)
*After adding the liquids, I eyeballed the food and decided to add a bit more vinegar. Decide your preference for yourself. Again, I bet it will taste good no matter what.
*And of course, I added TONS of feta because I have a cheese-addiction problem. :) Again, I bet it will taste good no matter how much feta you use.

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

This past week, I was craving mexican food and both Paul and I were craving protein. Human bodies are so cool: if you listen closely, it tells you what nutrients you need.


Since Paul and I hang out pretty much all the time, we have this creepy habit where we say the same thing at the same time. This time it went like this:
*We were watching a TV show
*We looked up at each other.
*We both said at the same time: "I am really craving protein right now!"

It's a weird but awesome experience to say the same random thing at the same time as someone else. Anyway, since we both desired protein, I mixed multiple enchilada recipes from all over the internet to come up with a protein-rich meal that satisfied all of our cravings. It made 10 enchiladas.

The best compliment one can get about food: I told Paul that the meal had to last two days. So I was going to have 2 enchiladas for dinner and he was allowed to only have 3. Paul said: "Don't worry, Cris. I am not that hungry. I am only in the mood to have two." About 15 minutes later, Paul sheepishly got up and got the third enchilada... :) I will definitely be making this meal again!

What I love: Green chilies make an appearance again! I also enjoyed the taste of cilantro on the top combined with the many beans in this recipe. Yum!


Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:
*2-3 cups of shredded cooked chicken
*1 (4oz) can of green chilies
*1 (15oz) can of red beans, drained
*1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans, drained
*1.5 cups of shredded pepper jack cheese
*1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*cumin and cayenne pepper
*1 onion
*1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
*olive oil
*2-3 cans (15 oz each) of enchilada sauce
*1/2 cup of sour cream
*10 flour tortillas
*optional toppings: cilantro and more sour cream

Directions:
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
(2) In a large bowl, mix chicken, green chilies, beans and 1 cup of pepper jack and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, and spices. Set aside.
(3) Cut onion in half. Chop both parts of onion but keep separated. Heat olive oil in a skillet pan. Add half of the chopped onion and the garlic and saute until golden. Add the enchilada sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Whisk in the sour cream. Add approximately 1/2 of the sauce into the chicken mixture bowl.
(4) Spread approx. 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 oven proof glass dish. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave so that they are easy to work with. Fill each tortilla with a heaping amount of the chicken mixture. Roll and place seam-down into the glass pan. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
(5) Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining onion and optional cilantro. When on plate, top with optional sour cream. Enjoy!


Comments:

*I apologize that I did not give specific amounts for the ingredients. I love having heavily stuffed enchiladas, so I went a bit crazy on the amount of ingredients. It turned out that it was too much toppings and I had enough extra for two more enchiladas (but no room in the dish) at the end. I suggest just eyeballing the ingredients. It's never bad if you have extra at the end...in my opinion at least.

*For the chicken, I used a rotisserie chicken. That way, I didn't have to cook in the kitchen even longer. I love using rotisserie chickens! I had extra left over, and we used that in another meal (coming soon to this blog!). They are so handy to use for meals!

*You can probably use whatever kind of cheese you want. I liked the idea of using pepperjack and sharp cheddar. It was a great blend of spicy and tangy. Mozzarella would probably work nicely too if you want a milder taste.

*I used one large can of medium-spicy red enchilada sauce and 1 small can of mild red enchilada sauce. I had a hard time finding spicy enough sauce at my local grocery store. Use what you prefer. They had spicy green enchilada sauce but I have never had that before and it scares me a bit... If you enjoy the taste of green enchilada sauce, please let me know! I would love to know what it tastes like from an experienced person.

Meatless Tacos

I once took a history graduate class on "The History of Food". In this class, the professor brought some kind of historical dish every week for us to try. When we were learning about the history of the tortilla in Mexico, the professor brought tortillas, black beans, cilantro, and green onions to class. I didn't think I would like it because (1) It seemed like odd ingredients for tacos (2) There were so few ingredients (3) I had never had cilantro before and family members (and Paul) had always told me that it was disgusting.

However, I tried it anyway and I fell in love with that simple-ingredient meal! I loved it so much that I started making it for dinner. However, as previously mentioned, Paul is not fond of cilantro. He doesn't really complain about meals, but I knew something needed to be done to make us both happy. I found a "Meatless Taco" recipe on allrecipes.com that was also very simple. I then combined the two ideas and soon came up with my own meatless taco recipe.

My recipe for meatless tacos is SO good! So light and refreshing! Optionally spicy! So healthy! It is a bit more complex than my previous meals, but only because there are more parts. The fun thing about this meal is that you can add other items or exclude items depending on your taste preferences. That is what is fun about tacos! :)

I hope you enjoy my Meatless taco recipe. If you have a meatless taco recipe that you use and feel like sharing, please email it to me!

Ingredients:
*tortilla shells
*shredded cheese or warm queso (your choice)
*1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
*salsa (optional)
*sour cream (optional)
*my "greens mix" (see recipe and picture below)
*my guacamole (see recipe and picture below)

Directions:
(1) Warm up tortilla shells. Put on toppings of choice. Enjoy!


My "Greens Mix" recipe:

Ingredients:
*spinach leaves, chopped
*6-8 green onions, chopped
*cilantro, chopped (add as much as you desire)
*1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced really small (optional)


Directions:
(1) Add all these greens together and mix thoroughly. Depending on your preference, add more or less spinach to the ratio. I like a spicy greens mix, so I add 1 jalapeno pepper. If it is too spicy, I add more spinach, etc. This "greens mix" makes a great, pretty, crunchy, healthy, perfect addition to tacos!


My Guacamole recipe:

Ingredients:
*5 avocados
*1/2 white onion, chopped
*4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
*1 clove garlic, minced
*lime juice
*1 dollop of sour cream
*1/3 packet of guacamole spicy spices (in mexican aisle of most grocery stores)


Directions:
(1) Cut avocados in half. Gently press a sharp knife into center of avocado pit and twist. This should easily detach the pit. After removing the pit, use a small spoon and "gut" the avocado halves. Add all the avocado to a large bowl. Add the white onion, garlic, and lime juice (a few drops at first...you can always add more later). Use a vegetable masher and mash these ingredients to a smooth consistency.
(2) Add the chopped tomatoes to the mix. Mash together, but leave tomatoes chunky.
(3) Add the dollop of sour cream, spice packet (about 1/3 of a packet), additional lime juice if needed. Mix together and taste test. Too bland? Add more spice packet, lime juice, and/or garlic. Too bold? Add more sour cream. Perfect? Eat quickly before the husband devours it all. ;)

Southwestern Soup

This is my favorite soup. I was so excited to share this recipe that I could not wait to take a picture of it. This is a picture of a similar soup, in fact, it's nearly identical to my soup (at least visually). Anyway, I promise to upload a real picture of my soup eventually. :)


At least once a month, I get a crazy craving for green chilies. Every time that happens, I make this soup. Also, I make this soup really spicy (you don't have to), so whenever I have sinus problems or one of us has a cold, I make this soup to encourage drainage and for a general healthy feeling.

I found this recipe years ago on allrecipes.com but I have changed it so much over the years, that I couldn't even find the original recipe again to give it proper credit!

What I like: the spiciness of the soup, the green chilies, the abundance of tomatoes, and the ease of making a visually-beautiful presentation of the soup every time I scoop it into bowls for dinner. It also makes 6-8 servings of soup, which is great for when we are busy with our jobs: I don't cook again for 3 days!

Southwestern Soup
Ingredients:
*1.5 cups of shredded chicken (cooked)
*4 cups of vegetable broth
*1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
*2 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes
*1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
*1-2 chipotle peppers, chopped, from a can of chipotles in adobe sauce (next to green chilies at store) (optional)
*a small spoonful of adobe sauce from chipotle can (optional) 
*1 onion, chopped
*1 clove garlic, crushed
*1 tbsp. lime juice
*1 can (15 ounce) of black beans, drained and rinsed *1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
*1/2 tsp. cumin
*salt/pepper (to taste)
*1-2 avocado, diced
*cilantro 
*shredded cheddar cheese
*sour cream


Directions:
1) Cook in large soup pan: Chicken, broth, tomatoes, chilies, chipotles (optional), onion, garlic, lime juice, and black beans. Season with spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Taste and add more spices or more chipotles as needed. You can also add some shredded cheddar cheese to the soup at this time (optional).
2) Scoop into bowls. Make it look beautiful with a lovely topping-display of shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, and a few leaves of cilantro on each bowl of soup.
3) Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!


Comments:
*Some people don't like chipotles or really spicy soup. If that's you, just leave those peppers out and this soup is barely spicy at all. I, however, love spicy soup so much that I add 3 or more chipotles to this soup and lots of the adobe sauce. Yum!
*The longest part to making this meal is cooking the chicken beforehand. It took me a while to realize that I can save time by buying a rotisserie chicken at the store and use parts of the chicken for this soup. I then use the rest for other soups or meals throughout the week. So if you want to save time, I strongly recommend using one of those already cooked chickens!
*I love cilantro and I used to add extra to the soup as well as putting some on top. However, my husband had a nightmarish cilantro-farm experience as a child and despises the stuff. So now I just add some to the top of the soup, but if you don't have husbands with weird cilantro-phobias, adding extra cilantro to the soup makes it extra good (in my opinion)
*Don't leave out any of the toppings on the soup! The beauty and taste of avocado, cheese, sour cream, etc. is wonderfully balanced with the soup. It is seriously so wonderful to look at AND eat!