My Cousin, Tortilla Soup & Mushroom Quesadillas

Tortilla Soup & Mushroom Quesadillas are the new Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese.

Once upon a time I had a cousin. Well I still have her and actually I have like a gazillion cousins, but stay with me. My beautiful and talented cousin was amazing in the kitchen. She could cook anything and never needed a recipe. My favorite thing she made was a tortilla soup. She taught me how to make it which involved touching and boiling an entire hen. If you know something about me, you know how much I dislike dealing with poultry. But she assured me this was the best and only way to get such a flavorful broth. And while she was likely right (dang her for being beautiful and right), I had to find a shortcut. Let's just say my tortilla soup is not her tortilla soup but it sure cured a craving and spared me the dance with the chicken.

This recipe serves about 3-4 so double it if you want leftovers or have a big crew to feed.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeno, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts*
5 oz diced tomatoes
16 oz chicken broth**
2 cups water
1 can pinto beans (rinsed)
cilantro, chopped

Drizzle olive oil onto chicken breast, sprinkle with seasoning mixture and cook in the oven on 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove from oven and shred with two forks and set aside. Add 1tbsp olive oil to a medium soup pot on medium-high heat. Add veggies and saute for a few minutes, add the remainder of the spice mixture and saute for a few minutes. You can use a packaged taco seasoning but making your own will eliminate excess salt and preservatives. Add shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for 45 minutes. Top the soup with cilantro and serve with mushroom quesadillas.

*So I did have to handle some chicken but way different than boiling a whole one. You can also use leftover chicken. If the seasonings are not tortilla soup friendly, rinse the chicken under water before adding to the soup.
** Try to find a good quality, less salt, no preservatives chicken broth. It is worth paying more money for a better tasting broth.

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Wing It: One Year of Simple Plates

One year ago I started a project called Simple Plates. As I nervously pressed the publish button I wondered about the future of this project. Would I be able to keep it up for a year or longer? Would my ideas dry up or would the outlet help them flow? Would I enjoy it or would it become a burden? Would I get positive feedback or any feedback at all? I am known as a planner and am not much of a risk taker. I like to stay on the trail, follow an agenda, and have multiple contingency plans. The lesson learned is that while planning and analyzing works for most decisions there are times when we should just follow our hearts, trust our instincts and wing it.  My biggest reward has been the feedback received from my family, my friends and complete strangers. I hope that Simple Plates has provided something for you whether that may be dinner ideas ripe for tweaking, motivation to get into the kitchen, or just a bit of entertainment. Balance is my goal. Learning to appreciate the art of winging it just so happened along the way.

I have created a facebook page to celebrate the one year anniversary of Simple Plates. If you are a fan please "like" my new page and help pass on the word to others. Also, you can join as a Simple Plate follower by clicking the "join this site" button on the right and signing in with any email and password. Thank your for reading! Here are some favorites from the past year:

 

My Family's Favorite: Turkey Pot Pie
Favorite Summer Recipe: Corn Summer Salad
Favorite Rainy Day Recipe: Taco Soup
Favorite Recipe for large group: Back Pocket Lasagna
Favorite Picture : Slaw Dogs with Mango
Simplest of the Simple Plates: Egg Tomato Toast

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Game Night Taco Soup

My husband and I flew out to Georgia this past week to surprise my Mother In Law for her birthday. She seemed very happy about the visit and not at all overwhelmed by her week long surprise house guests. Now that's love! We had an awesome visit with a bit of rain that made for a perfect setting for our traditional family game night.

The rain caused a craving for something hearty and warm and my mind turned to a soup that my grandmother used to make for me. This soup is easy to throw together for a crowd and can please very diverse palates from the adventurous to the particular. This recipe serves about 8-10 hungry gamers.

Optional toppings: shredded Mexican cheese, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips

1 lb ground meat
1.5 packets of taco seasoning
2 -15 oz cans pinto beans
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced in rounds then halved
10 oz bag of frozen corn
4-6 cups of water or broth

In a medium size stock pot, start browning the ground meat. With about five minutes left for the ground meat to cook, add onions. Next add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add taco seasoning and stir until combined. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for about five minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add zucchini and turn heat down to simmer. Let soup simmer for about 15 minutes, add corn and beans and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until ready to serve. Serve soup topped with cheese, avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips.

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