Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

Yield: Serves 8-10
Cook Time: 4 hours

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

An easy and flavorful chicken soup made in the slow cooker, topped off with shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips.

Ingredients:

1lb chicken breast, trimmed
15oz can sweet whole corn kernels, drained
15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
5C chicken stock
3/4C onion, chopped
3/4C green pepper, chopped
1 serrano pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp ground pepper, divided
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Seasoned tortilla strips

Directions:

 

To your slow cooker add first 9 ingredients plus 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp ground pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Prior to serving, remove chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for easy shredding. Alternately you may shred chicken by hand. Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Return shredded seasoned chicken to slow cooker bowl. Stir gently.

If serving immediately, divide among bowls. Top off with a generous helping of shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips. Soup may be stored in the fridge for up to several days. If freezing, label containers well with soup name and date.

 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Seasoned Baked Tortilla Strips

Crunchy homemade seasoned and baked tortilla strips. A perfect topping for salads, soups and more!

Ingredients:

8 small corn tortillas
4 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Cut corn tortillas into 1/2-inch strips. Add to a large bowl, toss with vegetable oil to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings. Toss to coat tortilla strips evenly.
Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Toss and return to the oven. Continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes or until desired crispness is reached.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Chicken Avocado Burritos

 

 

Chicken Avocado Burritos

Author: OMGChocolateDesserts.com

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (or 2 chicken breasts, salt and pepper- to taste, 1 Tablespoon mustard, 1 Tablespoon olive oil)
• 1 cup grated cheese (I use mozzarella)
• 1 avocado -diced
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro-chopped
• 4 large tortillas
• 4 Tablespoon sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon oil

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan, place chicken breast sprinkled with salt and pepper and roast for about 5 minutes on each side. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard over the chicken, add about ¼ cup water add cook covered for a few more minutes.
2. Cut cooked chicken into thin stings.
3. Mix the chicken, cheese, cilantro, and the diced avocados.
4. Spread 1 tablespoon sour cream on each tortilla, add ¼ of the mixture, form a roll.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil into a pan and place all four tortillas on the pan, cook for 2 minutes on medium- high heat. Flip on the other side and cook for another minutes or until the the tortillas are golden
6. Serve warm.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS
recipe from: Our Best Bites and Pennies on a Platter
Yield: 12 taquitos
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
small flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)
Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other.
Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze:  Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months.  To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.  (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes)

Notes:  From Sarah.  We loved!!  Served with guacamole and sour cream.  Also made homemade corn tortilla chips to go with.

(until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).

Chile Relleno Casserole

Ingredients:
*12-14 Large long green chiles roasted and peeled (I didn't have any fresh so I just bought 2 small-ish cans of whole chiles and threw them in the broiler for a few min to roast them
* 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
*3 eggs
*1 small onion
*1 cup Milk
*1/4 cup flour

Directions:
Open the chiles and lay a layer on a greased 9x9 pan, cover with cheese and repeat for 2 layers. Put milk, eggs, onion, and flour in blender and mix until smooth. Pour over the top of chile and cheese. Cook in oven and 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
We served with rice, beans, and red enchilada sauce.

Mexican Lasagna

White mix:

1 1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can of chopped green chiles

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/8 tsp salt

Beef mix:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 white onion chopped

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Brown all beef mix ingred. in pan until cooked

Other ingred:

2 1/2 c salsa (I used about a whole jar 16 oz I think))

Whole wheat tortillas, or flour (I think I usually use 6)

1 1/4 c. monterey jack cheese (I use mozzerella b/c I always have it on hand) I never measure this either

Oil 13x9 pan; preheat oven to 350 F

Order:

2 Tortillas

1/2 of white mix

1/2  of beef mix

Salsa (enough to cover beef mix pretty well, or however much you like)

Shredded cheese

2 tortillas

Remaining white mix

Remaining beef mix

Salsa

Cheese

2 tortillas

Salsa

cheese

Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes give or take

Chile Rellenos

On Friday Kai and I tried making Chile Rellenos for the first time. It was a lot of fun and I think the turned out pretty good for our first time.

Ingredients

• 12 Anaheim Chile peppers, charred and peeled
• 1 pound Cheddar cheese, cut into strips
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating

Directions

1. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers. Stuff each pepper with a strip of cheese.
2. In a small bowl combine milk, the 1 cup flour, egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt and canola oil; mix well to make a batter.
3. Pour enough oil in heavy frying pan to reach 1 inch in depth and heat over medium-high heat. Roll each pepper in the remaining flour and dip in the batter. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.

Notes: We loved them! By my second and third Chile I had the hang of it. I dipped the whole Chile in the batter and then put directly into the frying pan. I let it cook a little on each side rolling it with the tongs so it would seal it up and all the batter wouldn't fall off the Chile. Then I went back and did each side until it was nice and brown. Don't know if that makes any sense.
I had never charred (roasted) a pepper before so I watched this to learn how: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCEKXFy3rK4
Next time I think I will serve them with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. That was the original plan this time but they took us so long to make (because it was our first time) that we bagged it and just ate them as is.

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
6 chicken breast cooked and shredded
1 tub of sour cream
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 small can diced green chills
12 corn tortillas
shredded cheese
el pato hot sauce

Directions:
1. Boil chicken until it starts to fall apart, shred and set aside
2. Combine in a sauce pan: sour cream, soup, green chills, el pato (add however much you want). Heat until boils and then simmer.
3. In a 9 x 13 pan pour some sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Dip a corn tortilla in the sauce mixture. Place the corn tortilla in the pan. Add chicken and cheese and roll. Do this for all your tortillas.
4. Pour remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas and cover with shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 min to an hour or until center is bubbly. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.

Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 can black beans rinsed/drained
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup water
6 corn tortillas
1 avocado
Pico de gallo

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet, add onion, garlic, taco seasoning. Stir until onion softens, about 2 minutes
Add beans partly mashing with wooden spoon
Stir in tomatoes and water
Cook until tomatoes wilt and water evaporates, 2 minutes.
Serve on warm corn tortillas

Notes: I like adding frozen white corn at the same time as the tomatoes to the bean mixture.

Taco Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1/2 lb. Extra Lean Ground Turkey
4 oz. Healthy Harvest Rotini Pasta
1/4 cup water
1 TBSP. Taco Seasoning
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
2 TBSP Fat Free Sour Cream
2 TBSP Salsa
2 TBSP Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

Directions

1- Cook rotini pasta. Drain when done.
2-While the pasta is cooking, brown the ground turkey. When the pink is gone, add the green peppers, water and the taco seasoning. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
3-Combine the sour cream and the salsa in a small bowl; set aside until ready to eat.
4-Divide up the pasta onto two plates. Then divide up the taco meat mixture on top of the pasta. Sprinkle 1 TBSP of cheddar cheese on each Taco Salad. Then put 1TBSP of the salsa-sour cream mixture on top of everything. ENJOY!

Notes: Jaxon loves this!

Crock pot Santa Fe Chicken

Slow cooked shredded chicken with corn, tomatoes and black beans. Prepare the night before and turn your crock pot on in the morning for an easy weeknight meal. Low fat and low in points. Serve over rice with chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, fat free sour cream and reduced fat cheddar.

Servings: 8 servings • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  
• salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 Cup white rice (we do brown)
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp salt
3 T chopped cilantro
3 tsp vegetable oil

Cook the rice. Then add everything else and mix it all together.

Notes: This is a weight watchers recipe. There are always left overs and Kai loves it in a tortilla like a burrito. Reminds us of Chipotle.

Taco Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can corn or yellow hominy, drained
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix, dry
• tortilla chips
• cheddar cheese, grated
• black olives, sliced
• sour cream

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger and onion and drain.
2. Put remaining ingredients in crock pot and add hamburger
3. Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese, olives, and sour cream.

Notes: We like this with corn bread instead of chips too. I don't usually add the hamburger meat. You can also simmer on stove rather than crock pot.

White Chile

From Kim and Daryl
1/4 can chicken broth (add more to make it soupier)
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
4 cans of great northern beans (white)
1 16oz tub of sour cream
2 cans of green chiles, large
1 bag frozen corn
1 medium onion chopped
3 cooked chicken breast shredded
ground red pepper to taste
salt and pepper

Cook in crock pot.

Notes: this is HUGE, cut it in half.

Fajita Chop-Chop Salad

Hands-on Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes (includes marinating time)
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• FOR THE STEAK
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (8-ounce) skirt steaks
• FOR THE SALAD
• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, cooked and cooled

• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• tortilla chips or strips (optional)
• FOR THE DRESSING
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the steaks and toss well to coat them. Marinate the steaks in the refrigerator for one hour. In another large bowl, toss all the ingredients for the salad except for the chips or strips. Refrigerate this mixture until you're ready to use it.

2. Prepare a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high. Grill the meat until the desired doneness is reached, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Alternately, the meat can be broiled in the oven with the rack approximately four inches from the heating element. Allow 3 to 4 minutes per side for cooking. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then slice it into 1/2-inch-thick strips.

3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add 1/4 cup to the salad bowl and toss the salad. To serve, fill each bowl with salad, then top it with several strips of steak and a few tortilla chips or strips, if using. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.,
   

Notes: This is delicious with chicken instead of steak, to change it up a little