Quick Tortilla Soup

I love recipes that can be made from food in the pantry, and this is based on one of those. My brother has a recipe for Tortilla Soup that's made entirely from canned items, but this one has a few fresh ingredients added.

Quick Tortilla Soup

Diced veggies (Onions, Celery, Bell Peppers)
Green Chilies to taste (canned are fine)
1 can corn n' peppers
1 can diced tomatoes (with green chilies)
1 can black beans
+ any additional veggies you like for tortilla soup (e.g. zucchini, yellow squash, more corn, etc.)
1 box chicken or beef broth
diced steak or chicken (cooked)
water
Garlic Salt & Garlic Pepper (regular S&P will do fine too)
Cumin
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

Sauté diced fresh veggies in the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Once softened, add canned veggies (including any liquid), broth, and meat. Add enough water to come up 1-2 inches above the ingredients. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with crumbled tortilla chips or strips (see previous post) and cheese. We like to put the tortilla chips with some cheese on the bottom, spoon soup over the mound, then top with more chips and cheese.

NOTE: The type of cheese is up to you. Any cheeses with gooey potential will be fabulous--cheddar, Monterrey Jack, "Mexican" blends, even mozzarella.

Chicken, Black Bean & Tortilla Casserole

Nobody really likes the word "casserole", do they? But they're easy... and often tasty too! So here's a recipe Heath got from work one day that we tried out:

2 chicken breasts (diced)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cumin
1 chopped onion
chopped green bell peppers
14.5 oz. can diced Mexican-style tomatoes
3/4 c. salsa
2 15 oz. cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
6 7-inch tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (mozzarella might be good too)

In a large skillet, brown the chicken with a little garlic salt and pepper, the cumin, and the minced garlic. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook a bit longer.

Add undrained tomatoes and salsa. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Add 1/3 of the chicken-bean mixture to the pan. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Layer three tortillas on top. (I found that if you do a whole one first, then cut the next into fourths and put those with the corners in the corners of the pan, followed by another whole one atop that, then you get complete coverage. Clear as mud? Maybe I'll post an illustration if we get complaints. ;o)

Repeat the process: chicken-bean mixture, cheese, tortillas, then chicken-bean mixture. (Now stop because you've run out of tortillas!)

Top with the rest of your cheese (and a little more if you're feeling sassy). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Needs to have that congeal-factor, like homemade pizza.)

This is a staple meal at our house. Dee-lish!

Beth's Taco Salad

Mom and I are totally full from all our snacking today, so I'm just making dinner for Heath tonight. I've got this great recipe from my friend Beth who used to live in Colorado. She made this dish for me before small group one night.

1 lb. ground beef
1 can kidney beans
2/3 c. Catalina dressing
1/4 c. water
1-1/3 Tbsp. chili powder

Brown the meat and onions. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer 15 minutes, stirring. Some yummy additions to put in before simmering: chopped bell peppers, corn.

Combine with 4 c. shredded lettuce (or salad mix - whatever you have), 1/2 c. scallions (optional - I've never added these), and a generous 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese. You can also top with tomatoes, avacados, or whatever you'd like.

Toss and add more cheese on top. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos. (I recommend Fritos!)