Chicken Tortilla Soup

I'm feeling a little lazy today. Don't feel like typing all this out. Even though its really not much. So, I really hope you can see the picture well. Kira, I think you'd like this.
I got this recipe in something in the mail once years ago. I think before I got married. However last night was the first time I've made it. I quite liked it. The spice of the soup kind of depends on the spice of your salsa. I didn't have onion so I used green onion. Yup. That's all for today. :)


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Zuppa Toscana

If you like Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana then boy are you gonna be happy about this post. I've only had it from Olive Garden once but i say this soup is just as good as what you get in the restaurant. I made this the other night and we all enjoyed it. Gavin will eat anything but I don't think that diminishes how much he enjoyed this. Jer doesn't love Olive Garden but loves this soup. I love this soup. Avery ate it. Which, if you know her, is an accomplishment. She's not necessarily picky, she just doesn't eat much. Anyway, on the the recipe.

Zuppa Toscana

6 c water
6 chicken bouillon cubes (I suspect that 6 c chicken broth would work)
2 large potatoes sliced, or diced
1 lb Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
6 slices bacon
2 c chopped kale
1 c heavy cream

Chop veggies first in preparation to make everything easier as you go. Boil potatoes in water and bouillon until tender, about 10 minutes. Brown Italian sausage, onion and garlic. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
Brown bacon. Mix into the broth with the sausage.
Add chopped kale and heavy cream. Warm through but don't boil. Enjoy.

I have made this twice with ground turkey in place of the Italian sausage in an effort to make it a little healthier and because I felt like the Italian sausage was just a bit spicy. Not necessarily too spicy, just a little on the spicy side for me. Jer says, though, that he feels its a little bland without the sausage. Though its got good flavor from the chicken broth and garlic. Next time I might try half ground turkey, half Italian sausage to make us both happy. The kale adds really nicely as far as texture goes. It's one of my favorite parts of this soup.

That's about all I've got for this one. I love this soup. Let me know if anyone decides to try it out.

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Black Bean and Brown Rice soup

Black Bean and Brown Rice soup


1 can (15 oz.) black beans undrained
1 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 Italian salad dressing
3/4 cup instant brown rice

Fresh cilantro and sour cream for garnish

Place 3/4 of can of beans into blender and purée until smooth. Pour into saucepan.
Add remaining beans, water, onion, salad dressing, and brown rice and stir to blend. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until rice is tender.
Garnish with cilantro and dollop of sour cream.
Makes 2 hearty servings.

I found this recipe on the box of Western Family brand instant brown rice (which I get on WIC, along with the beans, even without WIC, this should still be a nice cheap meal.) It was nothing spectacular, but if you're looking for a quick, cheap, easy lunch or dinner then this is a good candidate. I skipped the onion and only had about 1/8 cup of the Italian dressing but it was fine. I think this would be an easy meal to play with as far as adding seasonings/garnishes. I like cilantro so I threw some in while it simmered. Also, I obviously skipped the sour cream (I like sour cream, I just opted to skip it for the fat, as I'm trying to lose some baby weight before the cruise and family pictures.) and added cheese. Avery and I also decided to add some gold fish to it. :)







Avery didn't finish her bowl (she rarely does) but she did eat it pretty well. It says it makes 2 hearty servings. I'd probably agree with that assessment. You can kind of see what we ate, and this is what we had left over.


I'd eat it again. Of course, if I wouldn't eat it again I probably wouldn't bother sharing the recipe.

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White Bean Chicken Chili (soup)

My sister-in-law, Kim, gave me a binder full of recipes for Christmas. I needed a recipe in which to use my canned beans that we've gotten being on WIC. Jeremy is not a fan of beans, so I shared this with mom, dad and Kristi when I made it and it was a hit.

White Bean Chicken Chili:
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion (I'm not a big onion fan, so I bought one white onion for this and about 3 other recipes)
1 7 oz. can diced green chiles
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
4 c chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic
1 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained (I skipped the kidney & used 2 cans of these, cause that's what I had)
1 15 oz. can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked chicken chopped (I used 1 can and 1 shredded, cooked chicken breast. I'd take the time to cook chicken next time, it was just better.)
1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped (just yum)

Heat the olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, chiles, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add broth. Add beans, chicken and cilantro. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Suggested Toppings:
2-3 corn tortillas cut into strips
2 green onions, diced
Shredded cheese (I used mozzarella and it was yummy!)

While the soup is simmering heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and place tortilla strips on it and spray them with cooking spray and season with salt. Bake 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.

Ok now I want to make this soup again. I might even convince Jer to try it this time. :) If you try it let me know what you think.