Chicken Tortilla Soup with Homemade Salsa

Holy cow! I am shocked that I haven't posted this recipe until now. My family eats this probably once a week, but my husband would gladly eat it EVERDAY! It is amazing! Promise me one thing: do not attempt to make this unless you pinky promise me that you will make the salsa (below) with it. I promise you that it is NOT the same with ANY store bought salsa. Been there once and will NEVER do that again. I came up with the soup recipe. The salsa recipe was graciously given to me by a friend. Enjoy! :)




*just a note: when making the soup, make sure to taste test often. If you need more spice/salsa then add some...

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
INGREDIENTS:

2-4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cups (or cans) chicken broth
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 TBL lemon juice
1 cup HOMEMADE EASY SALSA...recipe below
(I have tried it with store bought and it is NOT the same)

DIRECTIONS:

Place/mix all in the crockpot and warm until ready to serve.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, green onions, and extra cilantro for garnish.

*Easily be doubled...recommended! Leftovers taste even better the next day.

HOMEMADE EASY SALSA
INGREDIENTS

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes (make sure it has garlic in it. I buy the basil, onion, garlic one)
1/4 of an onion sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, cut off stems
1 capfull of lemon juice
1 jalopeno, diced with seeds or without seeds (depending on personal preference. I do one half seeded.)
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Drain the juice from the tomato can into a serving bowl (do NOT throw away).
In a food processor, pulse the cilantro and jalopeno.
Add the tomatoes (without the juice) and onion and pulse again.
Carefully pour all into the serving bowl with the tomato juice.
Add the lemon juice and salt and mix.
Cover and refrigerate at least a few hours until ready to serve.

*Can also be made in the blender, but wont be a chunky salsa.
*This salsa is a MUST for my Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe...and of course with warmed chips, YUM!!!

Creamy Potato Soup

There is just something about soup that tastes SO GOOD during the Fall. I got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend, who got it from...well you get the point. Im not sure where it was orignated from, but it is a very good soup! I was in the mood for something "comforting" last night for dinner, and thought I would give this a shot. It was very good! I added a couple dashes of red pepper flakes and garlic to mine but I'm sure it would taste good as it is too! I served it with a BLT-AG sandwich (Avacado and smoked Gouda cheese...MMM!) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 quartered potatoes (I like the skins on, but you can peel them)
2-4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium sized onion, diced
4 chicken bouillon cubes, or granules
1/2 cube butter
1 can evaporated milk (or regular milk if that is all you have)
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (whatever you have)
Parsley
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper
Bacon bits

Directions:

Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and chicken bouillon in a large soup pot and fill with water just enough to cover the potatoes. Boil for 30 minutes. Do NOT drain the water. Mash the potatoes a little bit to your liking. Add the butter, milk, and can of cream of mushroom/chicken soup and parsley. Stir together. You can simmer until you are ready to serve. When ready, add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Top with the crispy bacon bits.

Next time I make it, I am going to add some pureed calliflower and broccoli so my kids get some extra veggies!

Taco Soup

So, a couple of years ago, I decided to use more turkey than beef. Last night I made this chili using ground turkey. It was GREAT! I am sure every Mormon household has this recipe in it's book, but just in case, give it a try. It is also a QUICK meal, taking all of 20 minutes. (I do make huge batches of black beans and kidney beans and freeze them to avoid using so much canned items in this recipe.)



Ingredients:

1 lb. of ground turkey (I use the very lean stuff)
1 large can of petite diced tomatoes in it's juice
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
2 cups black beans
2 cups kidney beans
1 can water
1 pkg. taco seasonings
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the turkey. (when it's lean there is nothing to drain)
Add rest of ingredients and simmer. Serve. 

This works great in a crock pot and tastes even better after simmering all day!
Best served with shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce and oyster crackers or chips.
BON APPÉTIT!

Pasta e Fagioli

I can honestly say that this SOUP is WAY better than Olive Garden's verison! You have got to try this one if you frequently find yourself craving soup, salad, and breadsticks! It makes for a GREAT dinner meal, as well as a hearty lunch! Believe me, once you see how easy it is to make this yourself, you will discover that it tastes EXACTLY like the cravable version....the only difference...you will be craving THIS ONE from now on!

*recipe found on TopSecretRecipes

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)

3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans WITH LIQUID

1 15-ounce can great northern beans WITH LIQUID

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 12-ounce can of V-8 juice

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup COOKED ditalini pasta (the original recipe calls for 1/2 pound uncooked, but I have found that it is too much and the soup gets all soaked up into the pasta...so start with one cup cooked, and add more to your liking)

Directions:

Brown the beef in large pan over medium heat. Drain off most the fat.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes till veggies settle down and get tender.

Add remaining ingredients, EXCEPT PASTA, and simmer for 1 hour.

About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta in another pan of boiling water according to package directions (about 9-11 min). Drain and add the pasta to the large pot of soup and simmer for 5 minutes longer. Serve!