Turkey Tortilla Soup

If you are like me, you like Thanksgiving leftovers...but you don't like eating turkey sandwiches for a week.  The last few years I have whipped up this soup and it has always been gobbled (pun intended) up!  I adapted this recipe from a chicken taco soup recipe that a friend from San Diego created.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP olive oil

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 jalapeno, diced

1 zucchini, cubed

1 carrot, cubed

1 TBSP cumin

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 LB cooked turkey, shredded (If it isn't the day after Thanksgiving and you're craving this soup - try using a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups chicken broth

juice from 1 lime

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

In a stock pot, heat oil and add onions and garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent and soft.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Boil until carrots are tender, then reduce heat to simmer.  Serve with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado.

Homemade Tortilla Strips

3 corn tortillas

olive oil

kosher salt

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Brush tortillas with olive oil using a pastry brush and cut into strips.  The easiest and fastest way is to cut them with a pizza cutter.  Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam and bake for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Give them a toss halfway through.

Grandma's Chili

October and Halloween always make me crave chili.  My Grandma always made this at Halloween time and now we make it every year on Halloween.  My Grandma's chili was always the best...so 7 years ago I called her up and asked her for the recipe.  She was very matter of fact in her response - "always double your meat, and always use tomato juice instead of tomato sauce, the sauce is too sweet."  I did just that and came up with this EASY tasty chili.  This is a cinch to whip up, and the results are fool proof.  I've even won chili cook offs with this chili.

Whip up a pot of this and watch a game, or serve it on Halloween like we do.  Try it with these breadsticks.

2 LB lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

4 15 oz cans of chili beans in mild sauce

1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 chili seasoning packet (I like the chili kit)

1 cup (give or take) tomato juice - more or less depending on how thick you prefer your chili

salt to taste

Brown your beef along with the onion until cooked through.  Drain the fat and transfer to a 5 qt crock pot.  Add chili beans, kidney beans, seasoning packet, and tomato juice.  Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn to low for 4 hours.  Taste and add salt as needed.

Serve with saltine crackers, cheese, sour cream, onions, bacon or whatever else you like on your chili.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a simple, tasty recipe that freezes well and always tastes good!

1/2 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 T oil
1 14oz can tomato sauce
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1/2-1 whole jalapeno
1 T cumin
1 LB cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken is the best)
2 cups chicken broth
Juice of one lime
1 bunch of cilantro - cut up

Saute garlic and onion in oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with chips or cut up tortillas, cheese, sour cream and avocado.

Cauliflower Soup

I got this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com. It is a bit of an indulgence, but so worth it!

1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

1 TBSP Butter

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1/2 cup diced onions

2 14-oz cans chicken broth

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup blue cheese

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 2-LB rotisserie chicken, shredded

additional hot pepper sauce and blue cheese for topping

1. Melt butter in a large pot, add celery and onion. Cook until onion is tender. Add broth, milk, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a simmer.

2. In a large bowl combine cheeses and flour. Add cheese a little at a time, letting it melt in between each addition. Stir in chicken and heat through.

3. Top with additional blue cheese and hot pepper sauce.

Taco Soup

A great easy recipe for a gloomy day!

Ingredients

1 LB ground beef

1/2 chopped onion

1 15oz can stewed tomatoes

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can pinto beans

1 15oz can kidney beans

1 15oz can corn

1 envelope taco seasoning

Directions

1. Brown beef along with onion in a large pot, drain fat.

2. Add canned items, including the liquids. Add seasoning.

3. Simmer 20 minutes.

4. Serve topped with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese, and avocado.

This also works great in the crock pot!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is the soup my mom always made growing up and I love it! It is such a comfort food, and it is so yummy!

Ingredients:

3 chicken tenderloins

8 cups water

3 TBSP chicken bouillon powder (more of less to taste)

1/2 cup baby carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 package of Mother's brand frozen egg noodles - prepared per package instructions

Directions:

1. Combine water, chicken, bouillon, carrots and celery. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.

2. Remove chicken and shred into bite sized pieces. Return to pot.

3. Cook noodles according to package (Thaw and boil, drain). Add noodles to chicken mixture and heat through. Serve warm.

Watch Mountain Chili

Ingredients

½  Medium Onion, chopped

1 TBSP  Cooking Oil

1 15-oz Can Hominy

1 15-oz Can Great Northern Beans

1 14-oz Can Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

9 oz  Frozen, precooked Chicken Strips

¼ Cup     Lime Juice

1 TBSP      Fresh, chopped Cilantro

¼ tsp     Ground Cumin

¼ tsp          Ground Black Pepper

½ Cup      Shredded Cheese (Monterey Jack or Cheddar)

1 4-oz Can    Diced Green Chilies

Tortilla Chips

Fresh chopped cilantro

1.  In a skillet cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, transfer to slow cooker. Stir in hominy, beans,chicken broth, frozen chicken, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and pepper. Cover and heat on low for 6 hours stirring occasionally. Serve topped with cheese, green chilies, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro.

Serves 4