A Marriage Made in Heaven ~ Taco Tuesday

Me + Mexican food = a marriage made in heaven.

             To Die for Chicken Enchiladas from La Luna Restaurant

No joke. I could seriously eat Mexican food every day, all day and never tire of it. After a good workout at the gym, one of my favorite, go-to breakfasts is a scrambled egg burrito. Lunch I could easily eat a taco salad. The perfect afternoon snack, in my book, fresh salsa, guacamole and chips~they slay me. For dinner, fresh and healthy grilled chicken fajitas.  Or on a cold winter night, how about a bowl of chicken tortilla soup?  With Mexican food, the possibilities are endless!

South of the Border entrees are excellent because not only are they packed full of flavor, more often than not I can throw together a marvelous meal for my family in under an hour.  If it’s been a bustling, busy day and I find myself super short on time with a famished family, thankfully where we live there isn’t a shortage of Mexican eateries. Grabbing great Mexican take-out is always an option.  There is one spot I frequent just down the road from our home.  The ladies there know me by name and have our family’s order memorized. Yes, it’s that bad.

This winter we’ve been having unusually cold weather for Southern California. Which has me thrilled, because that has meant more warm, cozy comfort food to put on the table come supper time.  I recently pulled out my bag of tricks and tried a new Mexican Tortilla Soup recipe.  It came from my trusty Nordstrom Friends and Famiy Cookbook.  There are some cookbooks in my collection that yield nothing but ridiculously amazing recipes.  The Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook is one of them. And I’ll have you know, it was a keeper-of-a-recipe.  I will most definitely make it again. It’s so good, I thought I’d share the recipe with all of you. Because, well, I’m nice like that.

Crispy Tortilla Soup

Serves 12-14 

[From the Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook]

 

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 Cups finely chopped, peeled carrots {from my photo you can see…no fine chopping for me. I prefer chunky, hearty soup}

1 1/2 Cups finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 cans (49 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (15 ounces) cooked navy beans, dried and rinsed

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts {I used a store bought, ready made rotisserie chicken to make it easier}

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice

1 Cup frozen corn kernels

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Kosher Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

GARNISH

About 1/2 cup sour cream

4 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips

2 ripe avocados

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

2 limes, cut into wedges

 

HOW TO

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, warm the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, less than 1 minute.  Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, 8-10 minutes.  Add the carrots, celery, cumin, cayenne, and oregano and cook stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, 6-8 minutes.  Add the broth and the beans, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the chicken breasts, turn off the heat, and cover the pot.  Let the chicken sit in the hot broth until it is cooked through, but still juicy [15-20 minutes], depending on the size of the breasts. {Moms often don’t have time for this step. Instead, use a store bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken}.

 

Using tongs or a slotted utensil, transfer the chicken to a cutting board.  Add the tomatoes with juice and the corn to the soup and bring it back to a simmer.  While it is heating, cut the chicken into small cubes.  Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the soup, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then add the cubed chicken and heat through.

 

While the soup is cooking, prepare the garnish.  Have ready 8 warmed soup bowls.  Place a dollop of sour cream in the center of each bowl and top with 1/2 cup of the crushed tortilla chips.  Cut the avocados into quarters lengthwise, remove the pits, and then remove the peels.  Without cutting completely through the avocado at the narrow end, cut each quarter into thin slices and then fan out the slices. Place on top of the tortilla chips.  

 

Carefully ladle soup into the bowls.  Garnish each bowl with 3-4 cilantro sprigs.  {I added a little sprinkle of mexican cheese, which is not in the recipe}. Serve immediately.  Pass the lime wedges.

 

If you make this soup, I really hope you like it. I’m sure there are many terrific Tortilla Soup recipes out there.  Soup is super since you can customize it to your liking.

In an effort to FOCUS on my diet and eat a little healthier, tonight I’m making chicken fajitas for dinner using the Our Best Bites Grilled Taco Chicken recipe in addition to some caramelized onions and peppers which I’ll safely tuck between a corn and whole wheat blended tortilla.  For our side dish, Cafe Rio’s Cilantro-Lime Rice, another winning recipe.  If you don’t have those recipes readily available, I’ll gladly share them with you soon.

Perhaps next Taco Tuesday.  Hey!  That just gave me the best idea.  Every Tuesday on my blog for the next month, will be Taco Tuesday where I’ll feature a Mexican dish I’ve made and loved.

What is your favorite food?  I’d love to hear!  If you love Mexican food too and feel compelled to share your favorite Mexican dish recipe in my comments, do share. I’d be thrilled to try it out!