Right in your chicken spot.

It's winter time, which means I'm making all kinds o' soup. This delicious, cheap and easy to make chicken tortilla soup hit several spots the other day. So many spots, in fact, that I decided I must share it. This recipe freezes very well, so I usually double it. I love, love, love to serve this with my cheddar jalapeño cornbread (recipe below as well)

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips
• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• chopped cilantro

In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped cilantro.

Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread:
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

4 oz pickled jalapeños

2/3 cup cheddar cheese

mix together throughly and bake at 425ºF for 12-15 minutes. NOM.

Enjoy!

Pastafarian, mon.

So I haven't posted in quite some time. I've just been horribly busy with school, work, kid, etc. If I've cooked anything it hasn't been worthy of the blog, or if it has been I've forgotten to take pictures. But tonight I cooked something stellar so I thought I would share. I give you vegan marinara penne:

Ingredients*:

5 carrots - whole, washed, un-peeled

1 onion - spanish or yellow

5 cups fresh spinach

2 cans diced tomatoes - I prefer the yummy fire roasted kind as they add a nice smokiness to the sauce

1 can beans - I used Aduki beans here, but you could easily sub in red beans, kidneys, etc. Drain and rinse

1 head of garlic - more or less depending on tastes, but this makes quite a bit of sauce so it's not too overwhelming

4-6 tbsp balsalmic vinegar

olive oil

salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper - all to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Sauté until onions are transparent and carrots are soft. Add spinach and sauté until wilted. Add beans, tomatoes, and spices. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Boil pasta, drain, and serve.

*This makes a ton of sauce. It freezes well, but you can cut the ingredients in half if you'd like.

Please to enjoy!

Soup-er easy!

I love scallops. Well, as a general rule, I love seafood, but scallops have a special place in my heart. This soup is delicious, low fat, and very, very easy to make.

Scallops - 1 pkg - frozen

Fresh spinach - 2 cups

grape tomatoes - halved, 1 cup

red wine vinegar ~ 2 tsp

garlic - minced -the more the merrier!

salt/ pepper

olive oil - 1 tsp

Heat oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat and add all ingredients. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes (serves 2). That's it! Enjoy.