Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil

Directions

1. Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Elk Chili

This recipe calls for ground elk, but ground beef works well too.

The key to any good chili is to avoid using canned kidney beans. Although convenient, for the most part the canned variety has a texture on par with mashed potatoes. They are complete disaster if the chili is frozen then thawed and reheated. Do yourself and your family a favor, use the dry variety instead. It only takes a couple of minutes to set them up for overnight soaking.


Ingredients

3 1/2 cups dry kidney beans, soaked overnight in 2 quarts of water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 large sweet red pepper, diced
1 cup diced celery
2 lb ground elk
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 x 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
2 x 14 ounce cans of tomato sauce
2 small cans of tomato paste
6 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin seed
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it hotter)
Method

Drain the kidney beans that have been soaking overnight.
Put them in a large pot with enough water so that the water level is one inch above the beans.
Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat, continue to stir very occasionally, and cook them until they are tender firm, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain the cooked kidney beans and set them aside.

While kidney beans are cooking prepare the onion, garlic, red pepper and celery.
Set the prepared vegetables aside in one medium sized bowl.

In a small bowl combine the chili powder, ground cumin seed, oregano, ground coriander seed, and cayenne pepper.
Set the bowl of spices aside.

Put 2 tbsp canola oil in a heavy bottomed 12-quart stock pot.
Over medium to medium-high heat sauté the prepared vegetables for about 3 minutes, or until the onion is just beginning to soften.

Add the set aside spices to the stock pot.
Stir and cook for about a minute or until the spices begin to colour and become aromatic.
Immediately add the elk meat.
Break up any elk meat that clumps, and continue to stir and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.
Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat immediately.
Simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked kidney beans and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes or until desired tenderness in beans is reached.
Serve with crusty French bread.

Flavor improves if refrigerated overnight and reheated the following day.
This chili also freezes well.

Simple Chili

This recipe came from my friend Cindy.  Looks tasty!  Thanks!

1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can olives
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce

Ground beef (However much you want to get rid of. I usually say less is more and big chunks are better). Cook this through with onion, and peppers, and garlic if you like them. Add 1 package chili seasoning (or less to taste) to meat after you drain the grease off.

Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Serve with scoops corn chips and sour cream.

Mexican Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  olive oil
• 2  cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/2 onion-chopped
• 1  cup  chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 2 cans  vegetable broth
• 1  (15.5-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans
  
• 2 TBL fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup  minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through chili powder); saute 2 minutes. Add broth, corn and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.