Chicken Tortilla Soup

This week has been a bit hectic with school and tests so I knew an easy crock pot meal would be a great help. This soup couldn't get any easier! You open some cans, slice an onion, throw in chicken breasts and spices, let it cook in the crock-pot for a while, and viola! A delicious homemade soup that is filling, healthy and delicious. Plus you have lots of leftovers for a quick lunch. The recipe calls for two chicken breasts, but if they are large I think one would be plenty. I have only cooked it on the low setting, but if you try the high setting, let me know how it goes!

Well I have to get back to the books! Happy almost Friday!


Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 cans Ro-Tel
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp chile powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried cilantro
• tortilla chips
• shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Directions

Put chopped onion, cans of beans, rotel, corn, chicken broth, water, and spices in crock-pot and stir to mix. Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they're at least partly submerged in liquid.

Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breasts from soup and shred.
Return chicken to crock-pot, stir to combine.
Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Adapted from: http://jonandjenmiller.blogspot.com/2010/09/crockpot-chicken-tortilla-soup.html

Walker Chili

The last time I made this chili, it was snowing for most of the day. It was great to come home to a house that smelled of this delicious chili. This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Amy. It is absolutely delicious and is sort of like a taco chili. We top it with extra-sharp cheddar and we use lean ground beef to make it a bit healthier. It is very hearty and filling, perfect for a cold winter's day!


In other news, we had our Valentine's Day feast yesterday and it turned out so good. Props to Luke for going to the grocery store and getting all the ingredients by himself, it was a lot of stuff! Anyways, I can't wait to share the recipes with you guys! Happy Friday!


 Walker Chili

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
• 3-4 chili peppers, finely chopped
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans kidney beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 cups water
• 1/8 tsp coriander
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

Directions

Begin heating olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onion and cook until clear. Add the ground beef and garlic. When the beef is almost brown, add the bell pepper and chili pepper and continue to cook until the beef is browned. Drain fat if needed.

Pour this into the crock-pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Turn on low and cook for 8 hours. 

Serve with cheese, crackers, and/or sour cream. 

Tortellini Soup

I stumbled upon this recipe last fall on one of my favorite food blogs Annie's Eats. It looked so fresh and yummy, and who doesn't like a nice hot bowl of soup on a cold day? I made a few tweaks to the recipe to give it a bit more flavor and I am really pleased with the results! Luke liked it too, even though he's not a huge soup fan. It was very easy to make, perfect for a week night meal! Most of the ingredients I already had on hand, I just had to buy the fresh tortellini, which I found by the specialty cheeses in my grocery store. 

Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices (I use the one with the Italian spices)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth)
• 9 oz. fresh tortellini
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Mix in the oregano, cayenne pepper, and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated Parmesan.

Adapted from: http://annies-eats.com/2011/02/15/tortellini-soup/