Spicy Chicken Taco Soup

I think almost everyone who cooks regularly knows a version of this recipe, but I'll go ahead and err on the side of replication because this soup is so wonderful, so easy, and, really, quite healthy. There are a lot of ways to fatten up this recipe or to make it go a lot further, but I'll share the bare necessities with you.


Spicy Chicken Taco Soup


Ingredients (measurements are approximate)


3-4 fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stalk of celery, half of which is finely chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes (diced tomato with green chile -- I go with "Original," but milder or spicier versions are also available)
1-2 14 oz. cans of reduced sodium chicken broth, or reserved broth
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing seasoning
1 15.5 oz. can of pinto beans, drained
1 15.5 oz. can of kidney beans, drained
2 C of frozen sweet corn
1/2 C of chopped fresh cilantro


coarse salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 T of extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

1. Start a large pot of boiling water, and boil chicken breasts for about 20 minutes with whole celery stalks, a tsp. of coarse salt, and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
2. While the chicken is boiling, dice and mince your celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Mix ingredients in a bowl with a tsp. of coarse salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Heat another large pot over a medium-high heat and add extra virgin olive oil. Once oil is heated, add chopped vegetables, stirring frequently for about 6 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
4. Add diced tomatoes and Rotel. Stir.
5. Add 2 cans of chicken broth or, alternatively, use the broth created by boiling the chicken. Stir. Lower the heat to medium, and allow the soup to come to a gentle boil.
6. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard the boiled celery stalks.
7. Transfer the chopped chicken to the soup bowl and add the ranch and taco seasonings. Mix well, and allow to come to a boil.
8. Add drained kidney and pinto beans to the soup pot. Stir well.
9. Add frozen sweet corn to the soup and stir well.
10. Finally, add the chopped fresh cilantro (this is the ingredient that makes this soup for me!). Allow soup to cook for at least another 10 minutes, then serve. (Optional: serve over brown or white rice or Frito chips, or top with sour cream and/or tortilla chip strips.)

A little work goes a long way with this recipe.

There are a few reasons why having a taco soup recipe in your repertoire is a good thing.

• First of all, it's a crowd-pleaser.
• Secondly, it feeds a lot of people or, if you're not serving a crowd, it will at least feed your family for a couple of days. So it's a good recipe for those busy weeks.
• Thirdly, you can even make it ahead of time and freeze it for those nights that your best laid plans to cook go out the window, or in the case that you've got an out-of-town trip planned (and your spouse doesn't cook) and you don't want your kids eating candy for dinner.
• Also, if you serve the soup without the other tempting but calorie-adding trimmings, you're looking at just around 330 calories for a nice bowl of hot soup for dinner. And the beans and chicken and vegetables pack in a good dose of nutrients, to boot.

So, if you don't have one of these taco soup recipes under your belt already, try this one. I think you'll be glad you did.

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Valentine's Dinner for TWO (plus, like, a week's worth of leftovers)

It's a good idea to stretch your cooking muscles once in a while . . .


So I decided that this Valentine's Day, I'd like to forgo the fancy restaurant thing and go for something a bit more genuine and relaxed for my husband and me. We are, after all, parents of two children, living on a modest budget out in the country with limited babysitting access. And, frankly, sometimes going out feels like more work than fun, what with all of the fuss about trying to look nice for the first time in a few months or however long it's been.


Anyway, back in November, my husband and I enjoyed our fanciest, French-est dinner to date when he took me out for my birthday to Fort Worth's wonderfully anomalous Saint-Emilion. I don't remember half of what I ate, or at least what anything was called, but I do remember my husband going on about the soupe á l'oignon and how I just had to learn how to make it. And most importantly, I remember the pleasure of enjoying a well thought-out, elegant meal.


This is what I decided to give my husband (and, all right, fine, myself) for Valentine's Day (in addition to a French press, which I'm sure is something he never knew he always wanted and Season 4 of "Kids in the Hall")--a well thought-out, elegant meal. So, beginning a few weeks ago, I perused the Internet in search of the perfect Romantic homemade meal.


And this is what I came up with:

If I'm going to go all out, I'm going all out . . .
printed-up menu, and all.

salad: Arugula and Radiccio Salad with Vanilla Roasted Pears and Candied Walnuts from diningdetour.com

The candied walnuts were the best part!

soup: Henri's French Onion Soup from thecurvycarrot.com

This French onion soup recipe gets the stamp of
approval from my husband. He said it tasted as
good or better than the Saint-Emilion soup he
enjoyed on my birthday.

main dish: Crispy Rack of Lamb with Honey and Mascarpone from Giada de Laurentiis at foodnetwork.com

My first time cooking lamb came off without a
hitch. These were so tender and juicy, and they
tasted wonderfully with the sweet crème fraiche
and mascarpone sauce. They were also,
incidentally, the easiest part of the meal to cook!

side dish: Roasted Spring Vegetables with Arugula Pesto from delish.com

The surprise hit of the night . . . I've already
sung the praises of roasted veggies (see first
blog post), but the pesto added a succulent
quality to an already wonderful base. I'll be
using the arugula pesto again, maybe on
grilled chicken.

dessert: Chocolate Coupe with Cocoa Nib Mousse from delish.com

A perfect ending to a perfect meal. It's a good
thing these aren't easier to make because I'm
pretty sure I'd eat this everyday if I could.

And dang, if I didn't outdo myself. We definitely busted out the fine china for this one. I began cooking two days before, including making my own crème fraiche for the rack of lamb's sauce,

homemade crème fraiche (sour cream) . . .
so, so, so easy to do!

and continued to cook up until dinnertime Tuesday night. We got the kids in bed by 8 (my daughter had a hot dog without a bun for dinner with a cheese stick and some strawberries, but I am NOT going to feel guilty about that), and then my husband and I enjoyed each other's company as we enjoyed some really wonderful food and wine and the thought of knowing that we didn't have to make reservations or put on fancy clothes to enjoy a luxurious, gourmet-style meal.

It was just the two of us, a roaring wood-burning fireplace, a table full of delicious food, two glasses of wine, and good conversation.

And isn't that what love is all about?

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