Let me start by apologizing for being such a blogging slacker. I just haven't been as inspired by my own cooking, as of late. I guess I am just on a mediocrity kick. So I decided to write about two soup recipes that I made recently, which actually made me proud, and I enjoyed eating.






I have also discovered that one of the other joys of a long distance relationship is the fact that you inherit a second kitchen. Maybe not one that is fully equipped, but, one that you can run away from after making it look like a tornado hit it. Ya know one of those, “oh sorry babe, your kitchen is a wreck, but I have an early flight tomorrow." So the first recipe I made was The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup. I do have to admit that I only took finished product pics because I wasn't sure how the man felt about having his kitchen featured in such a widespread publication such as my blog...next time I am going to photograph the hell out of it...don't you worry....baby steps!


This recipe was amazing! It had just the right amount of spice and I loved that the chicken was baked and shredded and then added to the soup. It allowed the chicken to maintain it's own flavor and the cooking process in the broth didn't leach the spice mixture off to it, does that even make sense? The only thing I did differently in this recipe had to do with the tortilla strips. I sprayed them with cooking spray, sprinkled them with extra spice powder mix and baked them to make them crispy. I really wanted crispy tortilla strips on my soup and, in my humble opinion, that was an excellent decision.

Ingredients:
2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup Diced Onion
1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
4 cups Hot Water
2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
 _____
 FOR THE GARNISHES:
 Sour Cream
 Diced Avocado
 Diced Red Onion
 Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
 Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
 Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to under salt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, and then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, Pico de Gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)


The next recipe I made was a crockpot recipe that I found in an old Rachael Ray issue-Sausage, Bean and Spinach Stew. This recipe stood out to me, as it had a slightly different twist on the sausage, as they were shaped into meatballs. I also really liked the fresh spinach added at the end. I personally thought the soup could have used a little more salt, but that was easily remedied...ya know by adding more salt. I opted to use spicy sausage instead of sweet and I thought the hint of spice was a nice addition. This is just my opinion, but I did feel that the beans were slightly undercooked, so if I made this recipe again, I would consider extending the cooking time. However, all and all, this was a great comfort food recipe, which made the house smell amazing, as it cooked itself for several hours.


It also doesn't get much easier than this recipe...throw all of the ingredients into the crock pot, with the exception of the sausage, spinach and lemon. Cook for 3 1/2 hours.


Take the sausage and form it into meatballs. Place on top of the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 25 minutes.


Remove the Parmesan rind (I did use it, but I couldn't really find an identifiable taste that I could attribute to it). Also remove the bay leaf and thyme leaves. Add the spinach and let stand for 10 minutes.

Don't worry it shrinks

Eat!! (This is always my favorite part of any recipe).


Ingredients:
1 pound dried large white beans, such as Great Northern, rinsed and picked through
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Parmesan rind (optional)
1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, shaped into 1/2-inch meatballs
1 bunch spinach, trimmed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Crusty bread, for serving

Directions:
In a large slow cooker, stir together the beans, chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and Parmesan rind, if using. Cover and cook on high heat until the beans are nearly tender, about 3 1/2 hours.

Place the sausage meatballs on top of the beans. Cover, cook until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, about 25 minutes.

Discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Stir in the spinach, then cover and let stand until the spinach wilts, 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice; season. Serve with crusty bread.


Please don't tell anyone, but I am actually kind of enjoying this bi-coastal fall experience. I got to experience my first cider mill and if you are like me, up until last week,  I had no idea what a cider mill was. Come to find out it is a mill that makes apple cider and also cider donuts. I normally only allow myself one donut a year, on Thanksgiving while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, however, I caved at the cider mill. I ate a donut!! And it was the kind of donut that dreams are made of!! Hell, I am still dreaming of that donut 2 weeks after my cider mill experience!! And the cider was pretty darn good as well. Pretty much made me a cider mill believer!!


Meanwhile, back in So Cal, it still feels like summer, hence, the crockpot soup recipe. So I don't sweat my ass off over the stove.  Cheers to all!