Tag Archive | tortilla

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Nov11

platedsoupChicken Tortilla Soup is about as good is it gets on a cold winter night. It’s creamy, spicy, zingy, and cheesy, with every spoonful. In my opinion, The Cheesecake Factory makes the absolute best Chicken Tortilla Soup so they were my inspiration for this homemade version and I think this recipe hits the nail on the head. What’s more, it’s a perfect recipe for your crock pot or slow cooker. There are a ton of chopped veggies in this recipe so I strongly recommend busting out your food processor.

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Serves 8

  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (The flavor of bone-in meat is always so much better but if you prefer boneless then go with 1 pound)
  • 3 ribs of celery, finely diced
  • 2 large carrots, finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilis
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen or canned corn
  • 1 fresh poblano pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) can chicken broth
  • 1 pint fat-free half and half (If you really want the real thing, go for it, but fat-free tastes just as good in this recipe and that means you can go back for seconds!)
  • 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (Plus extra for garnish!)
  • 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions: 

1. Lay the chicken thighs on the bottom of the crock pot. Layer celery, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes, corn, peppers, spices and seasonings on top.

veggies

Pour chicken broth, lemon juice, and zest on top and stir well.

mixed raw veggies

2. Cook for 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. About 30 minutes prior to serving, switch the crock pot to warm and remove chicken and set aside to cool so you can shred it.

chickencooked

Add the half and half and cheese to the crock pot and stir.

soupwithcream

3. Heat a large skillet to medium high and add the vegetable oil. Add the tortilla strips and fry until nice and crispy. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

slicedtortillas
sautetortillas
crispytortilla

 

4. Remove chicken from the bones and shred. Add back to the pot and stir.

5. Ladle up bowls of soup and garnish cheese and tortilla strips. I also like to add more chopped cilantro, sour cream, or avocado to my bowl. When serving for a group, I’ll fill up bowls with all of these ingredients and let people customize their soup. Lots of fun and so good! Enjoy!

platedsoup

Easy Cheesy Steak Taquitos

May22

My boyfriend, Tom, has an unequaled love for taquitos. If he had to eat one meal for the rest of his life, taquitos would happily be on his menu. Unfortunately, the frozen variety are fried and filled with preservatives and all sorts of junk. While frozen are super quick and easy, homemade are actually almost as quick and easy but so much better for you and even better tasting. This is also a super kid-friendly meal so you can get your little helpers in the kitchen. My favorite thing about this meal is that you can use up leftovers to make them by substituting out the meat and veggies for practically anything you have that you need to use up.

Cover

Makes 12 taquitos

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 6 ounces steak, chopped into bite-size pieces
    • I used strip but you can use also use  flat iron, top sirloin, London broil, etc,
  • 1/2 cup of corn
  • 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 12 (6-inch) flour or corn tortillas
  • 12 toothpicks
  • Sour cream, guacamole, or salsa for dipping, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium sauté pan, add olive oil and cook onion for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat. Add chopped steak and cook until no longer pink in the center. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you work on the rest of the filling.

Grilled steak and onions

In a small bowl, mix corn, cheese, green onion, salsa, and taco seasoning  until well blended.

Filling mixture, without steak and onions

Mix in the cooled onion and steak mixture.

Filling mixture

To ensure your tortillas are nice and pliable for rolling, wrap the tortillas in a couple damp paper towels and microwave on a plate for 30-45 seconds. This is also a great tip for taco and fajita night!

Working on a cutting board, lay out a tortilla and spread 3 heaping tablespoons of filling all over the tortilla.

Tortilla with filling

Roll up tightly, from bottom to top and fasten the seams with a toothpick. Continue rolling up the rest of the tortillas and then place on the baking sheet, about an inch apart.

Spray the tops of the taquitos with olive oil cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, or until brown and nice and crispy.

Remove from baking sheet and cool for 5 minutes.

Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving!
Plated Steak Taquitos

I serve with a side of Spanish Rice and little bowls of sour cream, salsa, or guacamole so guests can pick their favorite condiment. This will definitely be a huge hit and is also a great recipe idea for game day nibbles.