Have you ever noticed that a lot of the things you hated as a child you really like as an adult? So this weekend I was making my grocery list for the week because if I am not organized I will not cook. I would love to be one of those people who could open the refrigerator and put random ingredients together and make it into a masterpiece but that is not me and I am coming to terms with that. So every Sunday I usually sit down with my mountain of cookbooks and I decide what cooking endeavors I will tackle for the week. So this Sunday was no different. I was sitting outside on the patio as it was sunny and 70 degrees in March (to my Nor Cal friends yes I am rubbing it in) and I came across a minestrone soup recipe. Now I have a personal battle with minestrone soup as the last time I made it my pasta expanded and absorbed all of the liquid so it was kind of more like a goulash. After I made it it looked like soup and by the time my husband got home he asked me,"what exactly is on the stove?" And when I said minestrone soup he then asked if there was supposed to be a soup component. Oops!

So anyway I digress...I decided that this week I was going to try minestrone soup again...different recipe...but same name. And it made me think of how much I hated soup as a kid. I remember my Mom making vegetable soup and I would whine and dread having to eat it. I remember eating the vegetables out of it but trying to avoid that broth at all costs. She would also  make cream of broccoli soup and I use to think it was the most repulsive thing ever...now would kill to have my Mom make me cream of broccoli soup. It was from the Moosewood Cookbook which back then I thought was some crackpot hippe cookbook...surprisingly I now own the Moosewood Cookbook. So as I sat on the patio I called my Mom and told her that and she laughed at me..."Hey Mom I am going to make soup this week remember how much I hated it." I guess things come full circle ay.

Plan on tackling the minestrone soup tomorrow so I will keep you posted on this endeavor.
However, thought I would share this great recipe I found last night. If you are looking for an easy and healthy taco filling that tastes great this is the recipe for you. It is from a Mexican cookbook I have had forever but never used...so good.

Shredded Chicken in Green Sauce (AKA Pollo Deshebrado en Salsa Verde)
*** Don't worry I didn't translate that myself. My Spanish is just as bad as it was when I lived in Nor Cal ***

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups canned chicken broth
1 T vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves **I love the cloves that are already peeled for you but the fresh ones are just so much better. Inner battle **
6 medium tomatillos, husked and quartered
2 serrano chiles
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro sprigs
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
*** I never measure my salt and pepper ***

1. In a medium saucepan simmer the chicken with the chicken broth, over medium low heat until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 12-17 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl, cover and let stand while making the sauce. Reserve the broth.

2. In a skillet, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until softened, 3-4 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the tomatillos, serranos, cilantro, oregano, cumin, sugar and 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Puree until smooth.

3. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook about 8 minutes, stirring to reduce the liquid and blend the flavors. Add the salt and pepper. Shred the cooked chicken (I used 2 forks) and mix with the sauce.

I served this with corn tortillas that I toasted on the burners, pepper jack cheese and a side of rice. It was so good and so easy. And if you are neurotic about calories like I am the chicken mixture is 247 calories per serving, calculated as 4 servings.

And ok since I am such a crappy food photographer I decided to put a good people picture on my blog...oh wait I didn't even take this picture. Haha