Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 6

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1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 (4-ounce) can of chopped green chilies (the recipe says drained, but the green chilies I buy have a sauce that I like to keep).
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (I actually use the canned ones that have green chilies and lime, chipotle, or mexican stewed).
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 (12 ounce) can spicy V8 juice (I put in a little more than that and a little less water)
4 1/2 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
vegetables (such as zucchini, corn, black beans, etc)
fried tortillas, in strips for garnish ( or tortilla chips)
avocados, cubed, for garnish
shredded cheese, for garnish
cilantro, for garnish
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1. Heat some of the water in the microwave until almost boiling. Add the bouillon and stir to dissolve.

2. In a large pot, saute first four ingredients until tender.

3. Add the remaining ingredients in the ingredients list up to and including the chicken (also include the bouillon water and the remaining water).

4. Cover and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour.

6. Add any additional vegetables that you want in the soup.

7.Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 more minutes.

8. If you are using corn tortillas, fry them in some vegetable oil until they are slightly crisp, then cut them into pieces and serve with soup.

* This is easily converted into a crock-pot meal, just follow the directions and put it into a crock-pot instead of the pot and don't worry about bringing it to a boil and then a simmer. Just throw everything in. 3-4 hours on low should be good.*

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 3 Hours

Serves 4
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1 cup sliced onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I just use Chicken Breast cut up into bite sizes... its less messy to eat).
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup lime juice (I put in more because I like it citrusy)
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with 1 teaspo0n sauce from can
2 cloves garlic, minced (This wasn't enough for my liking, I double the garlic)
1 avocado, diced
lime wedges, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
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Arrange onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange over vegetables.

In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.

*Instead of putting the garlic in the tomato sauce, I like to saute the onions and the garlic together before putting them in the crockpot.*

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. (Mom says that if you follow these instructions your chicken will dry out, at least with chicken breast that is. I put it on low for 3 or 4 hours and it was nice and tender).

Jamaican Rice:
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2 cups instant white rice
1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk
1 cup water
1 (15-ounce) can red beans, drained
1 teaspoon dried thyme ( I substitute marjoram for thyme, because thyme is too strong for me).
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped scallions ( I leave this out, because I don't like them... )
salt and freshly ground black pepper
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In a medium sauce pan combine rice, coconut milk, water, beans, thyme, and lime zest. set pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fold in scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

* I don't use instant rice. I just cook it in the rice cooker than place it in a pot and add the other ingredients.

Roasted Vegetable Dip

We love this dip. It's very flavorful and a good way to get in a serving of vegetables with picky eaters.

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2 large sweet red peppers, cut into 1" pieces
1 large zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (8oz) reduced-fat cream cheese
Crackers or chips
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1. Place the red peppers, zucchini and onion in a 15"x10" baking pan coated with cooking spray. You'll have a big mess if it isn't sprayed.

2. Combine the olive oil, salt and pepper; drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. (I used a rubber glazing brush - much easier)

3. Bake, uncovered at 425* for 25-30 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Cool.

4.  Place cream cheese and vegetables in a food processor or blender. Cover and process until blended.

Chill until serving. Serve with crackers or chips.

Easy Mango Chicken

This easy crock pot dish was very popular with the whole family. It's mainly veggies and protein, so it's also a very healthy dish, especially if you use brown rice. We used mango salsa from Costco, which was $4.99 for 4 cups. Also, we preferred Jasmine rice because it has a more authentic Thai taste. You can find that at WalMart. It's great over quinoa as well.

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4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can canned corn
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
3 c. mango salsa (store bought or homemade)
1 tsp. cumin
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Cilantro, chopped as garnish
Rice, cooked
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Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Sprinkle the cumin & Montreal Seasoning over the chicken. Put in a couple inches of water, cover and cook until tender (about 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low) time will vary depending if your chicken is frozen or fresh.)

When the chicken is cooked, shred into large pieces. Drain most of the juices from the crock pot.

Add the corn, beans, and salsa. If the mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved juices back to the pot.

Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Texas Breakfast Casserole

This delicious dish is great for a hearty breakfast or if you want more variety for dinner. It is really fast to prepare, but make sure you leave enough time for baking.

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2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup corn, drained
1 cup pepper strips, frozen or fresh
8 oz raw turkey sausage
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
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1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a medium square or rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place potatoes and then vegetables in baking dish; top with sausage.

3. In a small bowl, beat together milk, eggs, salt and pepper; pour mixture over sausage and then sprinkle with cheese.

4. Bake until casserole is hot and cheese is browned, about 45 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and serve.