Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine 2 can undrained diced tomatoes and 3 cups chicken broth. Boil, add 1 1/2 lb diced, cooked chicken (seasoned with 2 tsp. chili powder). Reduce heat, cook 7 minutes.

Add in prepared Mahatma brand red beans and rice; heat through. Spoon into bowls and top with tortilla strips and cheese.

*We used to make this a lot. It's so simple and tasty. You can also saute up some veggies, like onion and peppers, to add to it.

Chicken Masala

From Make It Fast, Cook it Slow

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup diced onion

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Directions:

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken and onion in the stoneware. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes with the garlic and all the spices, reserving 1/2 tsp of garam masala for use later. Pour the tomato mixture over the top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken with two forks, and stir in yogurt. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp garam masala, or more to taste. Add salt to taste. Serve with basmati or jasmine rice!

Buffalo Wing Soup

From http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/:

--2 cups cooked and cubed chicken

--1/2 yellow onion, chopped

--3 stalks celery, chopped

--1/4 cup unsalted butter

--1/4 cup flour (I used rice flour)

--2 cups fat free milk (no higher content than 2%, or it will curdle)

--3/4 cup chicken broth

--4 oz Velveeta

--1/2 cup hot wing sauce

--1/2 tsp celery salt

--1/2 tsp garlic salt

The Directions.

A 4 to 6 quart crockpot will work well for this soup.Make a roux with the flour and butter. I usually use the stove top, but tried the microwave yesterday---it worked great. In a bowl, melt the butter on high for 45 seconds, then whisk in the flour. Set aside.Chop up the onion and celery, and dump it into your crockpot. Add the cooked and cubed chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add Velveeta. Add the salt (note: this is saltier than I am used to. If you are on a lower sodium diet, omit the salt all together. The cheese and the broth are pretty salty on their own. You can always season to taste after cooking.)Stir in the flour and butter mixture. Add hot sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. The soup is done when the celery and onion reach desired tenderness and the flavors have melded.

Roasted Chicken, baby!

I finally made that chicken I've had on my menu plan for weeks...a day late. It wasn't totally thawed yesterday and we had leftover lasagna from Alex's mom to eat up yesterday and today so I made it tonight after Ben went to bed. It looks fabulous. The skin got nice and golden brown and it set the smoke detector off. Ben stayed asleep, but Lola freaked and is still sitting under the desk. Silly dog.

Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas

Gold Medal Sizzling Fajitas
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2007

8 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash hot sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds meat (boneless, skinless chicken breast, skirt steak or peeled and deveined shrimp)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 lime, juiced, for topping
Sour cream, for topping
Salsa, for topping
Guacamole, for topping
Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

Directions
In a heavy duty resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, salt, pepper and your choice of meat. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator. *Cook's Note: 15 minutes for shrimp, 20 minutes for chicken and 1 hour for skirt steak.

Heat the outside grill or a large indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and place it on the hot grill, discard the marinade. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, skirt steak about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare and about 2 minutes for shrimp. Slice the chicken and steak into strips if you are using.

In a large skillet heat up the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and fry the onions and bell peppers until crisp-tender with some salt and pepper.

Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven with the servers for 15 minutes.
Serve sizzling immediately with the warm tortillas and other accompaniments.

*I have another similar Alton Brown recipe for fajitas that we've also used, but just with steak. I'll post it in the future. Both recipes are delicious!

Lemon and Olive Chicken

Lemon-and-Olive Chicken
From Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Prep: 15 minutes Total: 40 minutes

It takes just a few minutes more to make a big batch of this Mediterranean-style chicken than it does to prepare a small one. Eat half now; freeze the rest. You can store this chicken frozen for up to six weeks. When you're ready to serve it, thaw, then put in a pan with water to coat the bottom; cover, and simmer until hot.

Ingredients
Serves 8.

8 bone-in chicken breast halves (or boneless, skinless breasts)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons (thickly sliced, seeds removed)
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup green olives, pitted and halved
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. In two batches, sear the chicken, skin side first, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Cut the lemons in half lengthwise and then into thin slices crosswise. If the skillet is dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onions and garlic, and cook over medium heat until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon slices, olives, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Put the chicken on top of the vegetables, pour in any accumulated juices from the plate, and sprinkle with thyme and crushed red pepper. Cover, and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 15 minutes.