Mexican Chicken Soup

(Caldo de Pollo)

• 1/2 dried chipotle chili, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
• 2 skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3 pieces
• 1 pkg (16 oz) frozen soup vegetable mix
• 1 bag (16 oz) steamable spanish rice
• 2 jumbo avocados, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro

Combine the dried chili, chicken broth and 1 qt water in a large soup pot.  Bring the stock to a boil, add the chicken breast pieces, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 1 hour.  Remove the chicken chunks from the stock and set aside in a shallow dish to cool.  Shred the chicken, remove the bones and return to the stock.

Add the frozen soup vegetable mix to the soup and continue to cook for 15 minutes uncovered over medium low heat.  Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the steamable rice according to the package directions and serve with the soup.  Top each bowl with avocado slices, shredded cheese and cilantro if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

I got this recipe from my new HEB Plus.

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The recipe started out on Allrecipes.com and I changed it a bit.

You’ll need:

• 2 T coconut oil (or whatever oil you like to sauté your onions in)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1 qt chicken stock
• 3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained, I like to use the Fiesta or Mexicorn style ‘cuz it’s zippier
• 1 – 8 oz can chiles, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1½ c parboiled rice
• 1-2 t salt

I like to cook this in my enameled cast iron dutch oven.  Sauté the onion in the oil.  While that’s happening you need to open all those cans.   Drain one can of beans and put it into the blender, along with the can of tomatoes (don’t drain those) and the can of chiles (don’t drain them either).  Liquefy the whole mess.  Rachel said it looks like a black smoothie and it does look kinda icky at this point.  Add the seasonings, the rest of the beans, the corn and the black smoothie.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Add the rice, give a good stir, plop the lid on, turn the heat to low.  Now go sit down and drink some iced tea, ‘cuz it’s hot out there y’all!  Stir the pot every once in a while and after about 20 minutes you can take the pot off the heat, leave the lid on and let it sit until supper time.

This is the tastiest beans and rice I’ve ever made, maybe.  And did you notice?  It’s easy and it’s vegetarian and it’s good for ya!

Do you have a favorite bean recipe?  Care to share?  I need more variety!

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You’ll need:

• 1 lb dry lentils
• 2 cups uncooked brown rice
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery INCLUDING THE LEAFY TOPS, rinsed and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots or leeks (onions if you would rather)
• 10 cups hot liquid (I use 1/2 broth and 1/2 water, heated to boiling to give the crockpot a good start)
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

Rinse the lentils and plop ‘em into the crockpot.

I love the sound of beans of any sort plop, plop, plopping into my crockpot.  It makes my inner cheapskate wild with joy!

Add all the rest of the ingredients and turn the crockpot on high for an hour and then down to low for 6 more hours.

You don’t have to do the “turn it on high for an hour” part if you have a “hot” crockpot.  My current pot is kinda on the cool side, as crockpots go.

Add some salt at the last half hour or so and stir it in good.

This is one easy, cheap, yummy, one dish, rib-stickin’ meal!  Serve it with biscuits or  homemade dinner rolls!

This post is linked to Life in a Shoe’s Beanie Linkie.

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We’re down to canned goods and a few odd-ball items.  I should make a grocery list, huh?

I remembered seeing a recipe for homemade tomato soup in one of the Tightwad Gazette books.  Turns out it’s in the second one.  And I had most of the ingredients to make it.  No milk, but I still had almost a quart of half and half.  Turns out it’s very delicious made with the light cream.

I also tweaked the seasonings a bit.  Made a better tomato soup than I have ever had!  And who knew it could be so easy!  It even looks like Campb*ll’s!

The Tightwad Gazette II: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle

‘Mater Soup

You’ll need:

• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 24 oz milk, ½ & ½, or heavy cream (use the tomato paste can and fill it 4x)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp celery salt
• ¼ tsp (or so) garlic powder

Just mix it all together in a medium sized sauce pan, and cook over medium heat just till it begins to bubble.   Maybe a bit sooner if you are using the heavy cream.

This makes enough for a lunch size serving for 4 or 5 kids.  We had this for lunch today, along with some crackers and canned chicken salad.

I gotta run!  Time to make that grocery list!

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I hereby resolve to put a dead chicken in a pot at least once a week until Spring of 2010 or longer!

Feel powerless when confronting a viral illness in your family?  Get over it and get out your big pot!

Making chicken soup is so easy that we should replace pie with chicken soup in that saying.  You know, “It’s as easy as. . . chicken soup!”  It’ll only sound goofy the first 73 times you say it.  Promise.

Anyway, I don’t think you need any reminder about how chicken soup can cure what ails you.  We  just gotta do it,  make the soup.  Make it regularly!

Here’s an easy recipe to get you started. The only thing she forgot to mention is SAVE THE BONES and the skin and the connective tissue.

I know, just say “gross” and move on.

Put the gross stuff in a ziplock in the freezer for the next time you wanna make some free chicken stock. And while you’re at it put all your veggie ends and scraps in the ziplock too.

I paid just over $5 ($0.99 lb.) for my largish bird that is in my pot right now.

1. We’re making the Chicken Soup for dinner tonight.  Makes enough for our dinner and tomorrow’s lunch, too!
2. Using some of the meat for our Quesadillas this noon.
3. Used the neck and organ meat with some brown rice thrown in to make Trixie-the-Wonder-Dog some extremely superior homemade dog food.  She loves me with all her doggy heart!
4. And the chicken stock I’ll make with the bones will save me a bundle since I won’t have to buy broth.

All my recent interest in making homemade chicken stock and chicken soup comes from having read a post by a very clever and frugal mama about how she processes the chicken feet for her chicken stock.

What?!?!

The feet?

Yes, I know, say “gross” again.  It might help.

She’s got photos and everything, so clicking the link is only for the stout of heart.

But it made me think.  (Scary when that happens, ain’t it?)  But it made me wonder, what goes into chicken broth that ends up in a can at my grocery store?  Are they as meticulous about cleaning as they oughtta be?

Reminds me of a line from a forever-ago commercial about (I think) chicken nuggets.  I don’t remember how the commercial goes but the catch line is “Parts is parts.”

Eww!

I don’t wanna think about all the implications of that line.

And I don’t wanna eat factory made broth when homemade is so simple.

Linked to:

• $5 Dinner Challenge
• Tuesdays at the Table

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