Baby, It’s cold outside

In recognition of our incredibly cold (30-40 below zero this week, eek!), I am re-posting this blog entry from Winter 2009. Enjoy! And stay warm!

Yesterday I had 2½ sick kids (the baby had it first, but was slowest to make a full recovery; her 2 older brothers were more violent about it, but also most eager to get out of the house & back to their lives). It had gone through the three of them so fast, that I was holding my breath for the rest of us not to get it. I needed something that could be ready for whomever was up for eating, whenever they were up for it.

I found this great Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe at allrecipes.com. When I ran to the store for more ginger ale, I also picked up a roasted chicken, I had all the other ingredients in the pantry. It was fabulous to smell it simmering in the crock pot all day, perfect for a hearty dinner on a cold night (the older brothers declined in favor of Lipton Noodle Soup, they weren’t that recovered; but loved the smell and are already begging me to make it for Super Bowl Sunday, which I might), and the leftovers were nice as a light lunch for a girlfriend and myself today. When we had the soup for lunch, I had no more of my homemade tortilla strips, so I just used chips. If we dropped in a few whole just before you ate the soup, they got just soggy-crunchy enough that they added great texture!

The diced green chiles are mild enough for even a delicate taste bud (or sensitive stomach), but if yours are uber-mild (or uber-sensitive), leave them out (and even substitute tomato sauce for the enchilada sauce if you must).

Chicken Tortilla Soup

8 servings

1 lb chicken, shredded, cooked

1 (15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed by hand

1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder

1 t salt

¼ t black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 (15 oz) can black beans

1 (10 oz) package frozen corn

¼ c chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish

7 corn tortillas + cooking spray to make tortilla strips for garnish (or tortilla chips)

sour cream, diced avocado for garnish

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°. Spray both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.

To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips (or chips) over soup. Serve with additional cilantro, sour cream, and avocado.