Chicken Chili Taco Soup

Do you ever see a recipe and know you will like it? Not just think it looks good, but know, from the picture, title, recipe, whatever, that it will undoubtedly be something you will like? That’s what happened to me with this recipe for Chicken Chili Taco Soup. I’m sure it had something to do with the name of the recipe. I like chili. I like tacos. I like soup. It was kind of a no-brainer. I also think I knew the recipe would be a winner because of its similarity to the Taco Soup recipe I told you about way back in the beginning of this blog. (If you click to check out the recipe, please don’t judge me on the photo quality.  I hadn’t figured out the whole lighting thing yet.)

After having tried the recipe, I can tell you that what I like best about it (besides being quick and easy) is its adaptability. The original recipe calls for ground turkey. I substituted ground chicken breast, and I’m sure ground beef would be great too (though I’d drain the beef before adding the soup ingredients to avoid having greasy soup). The recipe also calls for kidney beans, which add to the chili-ness of it. Kidney beans worked great, but black or pinto beans would work just as well. If you want to heft up the veggie content, you could easily add in some chopped zucchini, carrots or spinach. If you don’t have the can of Ro-tel, you can substitute salsa or regular diced tomatoes. You get where I’m going with this.  This recipe is flexible.

It’s also really good.  And ridiculously easy.  All you have to do is brown up the meat, add the veggies and then add everything else.  A 15 minute simmer is all you need to bring all the flavors together.  What you end up with is a chunky, meaty, protein-packed soup full of sweet corn, tender-crisp peppers, creamy beans, and zesty spices (how zesty is up to you).  You can serve it topped with any number of things – basically whatever you like on your chili and/or tacos.  We went for the fairly straight forward combo of shredded cheese and Greek yogurt (subbed for sour cream).  Stan also added enough tortilla chips to his to make it more like chip soup.  I was aiming for something a little healthier, but he assured me his version was delicious.  

Cheesy Chicken and Corn Stuffed Peppers

So… hello.  It’s been awhile.  I know I’ve said that before when I’ve disappeared for a week or two - you know, for moving, a dead computer, mono… those sorts of things.  Dropping out of the blogosphere for over a month, however, is pretty much unheard of for me.  I feel like I owe you an explanation.  I don’t normally share super-personal stuff here because, well, it’s super-personal.  But you’ve stuck around.  You kept coming back even when I wasn’t posting.  You didn’t give up on me.  And I appreciate that.  I really do.  So I have a story for you… 

This story starts about 2 and a half months ago, over Labor Day weekend.  While you were out (hopefully) enjoying the long weekend, I was in the hospital having surgery.  Fortunately, everything went well with the surgery.  Unfortunately, I ended up being allergic to the antibiotic they gave me at the hospital.  That one fateful dose resulted in approximately six weeks of allergic reactions.  We’re talking hives, rashes, swollen joints, swollen eye... and that’s in addition to the surgery recovery.  I was a hot mess.  I was also pretty much at a cooking standstill as I wasn’t allowed to bend, lift anything, etc. 

Over the past few weeks, I have returned to the living – and the kitchen.  I am so glad to be back and able to share recipes with you.  Like today’s recipe for Cheesy Chicken and Corn Stuffed Peppers, one of the first things I made when I got back in the kitchen.  These peppers are ridiculously good.  Filled with chicken, corn, cream cheese, salsa, mild green chiles, fresh jalapeno, and two more kinds of cheese, these stuffed peppers are jam-packed with flavor.  They also have great texture from the creamy cheeses, crunchy corn and peppers, and chewy chicken.  And like most of my favorite meals, these stuffed peppers are quick and easy to make.  These peppers welcomed me back into the kitchen, and I’m sure they would be a welcome addition to your table any night of the week.

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

I don’t know about you, but after a rough day, I crave comfort food. And when it comes to comfort food, I like it as carb-y and cheesy as possible. Not exactly healthy, I know. But that’s why it’s comfort food, right? I mean come on, who ever wanted carrot sticks and bean sprouts after a hard day? Unless maybe they were tossed in an Asian-inspired dish and smothered in peanut sauce. In which case, sign me up.

But what if comfort food could be healthy(ish) and comforting at the same time? What if you could still satisfy the craving for carbs and cheese and stick-to-your-ribs casseroles without completely destroying your waistline? That would be a good thing right?

I thought so. And so I tried today’s recipe. One, because it looked ridiculously good. And two, because it wasn’t nearly as unhealthy as it would appear at first glance. This casserole is full of good things. Chicken and brown rice and chiles and black beans and corn and salsa. All healthy. Sour cream (I used reduced-fat) makes it a little creamy, and just a little cheese makes it gooey. All you have to do is stir everything together and bake until bubbly.

One bite and I was in love. This Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole is complete comfort food, but it doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Serve it up with a salad on the side and you’ve got a meal that will comfort your belly… and your conscience.

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

The other day I told you about some crazy delicious margaritas I concocted.  I debated posting another recipe today with “margarita” in the title since I don’t want you to think I sit home with the bottle all day.  But since today’s recipe uses the margarita ingredients as a marinade instead of a cocktail, I figured I’d go with it.

And you should go with this recipe.  It’s fun and it’s delicious.  It’s chicken fingers, soaked in a margarita marinade, coated in crunchy, seasoned panko, and baked until crisp.  It’s fresh strawberries, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocadoes mixed together to make what just might be your new favorite salsa.  It’s a combination of crunchy chicken and savory-sweet salsa rolled up in tortillas.  It’s awesome.  And it would be extremely awesome with some real margaritas, too.

Queso Chicken Pasta

Let’s talk guilty pleasures.  We all have them.  Those embarrassing little things that we secretly love and crave even though we know we shouldn’t.  Maybe it’s rich desserts, trashy reality shows, or teeny bopper pop music.  Maybe it’s all three.  (And if it is, don’t be embarrassed.  I’m with you on two of the three.  Which two, though, I’m keeping secret.) 

I am, however, willing to tell you about my new guilty pleasure.  Its name is queso.  Yup, queso, as in the melty, cheesy, gooey dip you get at Mexican restaurants and consume with obscene amounts of tortilla chips.  The one I never craved or desired before a new Mexican restaurant opened nearby.  A restaurant that has a great happy hour with delicious, cheap margaritas.  And what are you supposed to eat with those margaritas?  Chips and queso, of course. 

The problem here is that we like this restaurant a lot.  It’s in one of our favorite neighborhoods, it has a nice patio, and like I said before, they have good, cheap margaritas.  Needless to say, we go there fairly often.  And I eat an unreasonable amount of chips dipped in queso.  And then I feel guilty.  But I still crave more.  See?  Guilty pleasure.

Today’s recipe got me all fired up because it combines my all-time love, pasta, with my new-found love, queso.  It tastes just like it sounds: pasta mixed with queso.  And if that doesn’t sound good to you, just trust me.  Imagine tender pasta baked with a creamy (yet still somehow light-tasting) cheese sauce flecked with onion and chile.  The addition of shredded chicken ups the protein and makes the dish a complete meal.  Served up with some veggies (cause a little green is a good thing), this Queso Chicken Pasta is a winner – and one that I feel slightly less guilty about since it doesn’t involve multiple baskets of chips. That being said, I gotta know, what are your guilty pleasures??

Ground Beef Enchiladas

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you might remember a post I did quite awhile back for Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells.  That recipe took a Tex-Mex flavored ground beef filling and stuffed it into jumbo pasta shells.  What you ended up with was an Italian-looking recipe that tasted decidedly South of the border.  A weird fusion, I know, but extremely delicious.

Today’s Ground Beef Enchiladas are a spin-off of those Tex-Mex Stuffed Shells.  I took the ground beef filling we loved in the shells and rolled it into whole wheat tortillas – something we have on hand much more frequently than jumbo shells.  The result? Recipe adaptation awesomeness.  The flavorful meat filling and the easy, homemade enchilada sauce worked just as well with tortillas as with pasta.  If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, crowd-feeding recipe for your Cinco de Mayo festivities, look no further than these ground beef enchiladas.

P.S. Please do not be alarmed by the extremely shiny cheese topping my enchiladas.  I was experimenting with a new brand of reduced-fat cheese.  While the cheese did actually taste okay, it formed that lovely, shiny, rubbery layer that low-fat cheeses tend to do.  Lesson learned.

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

Today I was planning to share a side dish recipe with you guys.  It has vegetables and cheese and a crunchy breadcrumb topping.  I made it last night, and it rocked.  But then I got to thinking…  Cinco de Mayo is coming up next week, and I have a whole lot of Mexican recipes in the backlog waiting to be posted.  Seems like the perfect time to share them with you, no?  (Let’s just agree to ignore the fact that I completely ignored posting holiday recipes for Passover and Easter.)

To kick things off right, today’s recipe comes from Mexican food and Top Chef Master Rick Bayless.  If you’re not already a Rick Bayless fan, let me tell you - he’s kind of awesome.  He takes traditional, authentic Mexican recipes and makes them accessible.  And incredibly delicious.  Like that recipe for Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes I told you about a couple weeks ago.

Or today’s recipe for Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos.  Tacos which are good.  So very good.  And so very, very easy – because you make the filling for the tacos in a slow cooker.  Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?  Authentic Mexican food coming out of the slow cooker at the end of a long workday?  Yes, please.  Especially if that food tastes like this – soft corn tortillas filled with tender, smoky chunks of pork and cubes of potatoes steeped in the meat juices.  Topped off with cubes of creamy avocado and fresh cheese, these tacos take slow cooker food to another level. 

Jalapeño-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes

There are certain recipes that just aren’t that pretty. They might be incredibly delicious, but they won’t win any beauty pageants – or food styling contests. If you were telling your friends about these recipes, you might say they “have a great personality”. And while “a great personality” might be code for something less than desirable in a blind date, it’s not at all a bad thing on your dinner plate.

Take today’s recipe: Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes. It’s not really a looker. One glance will not have you drooling on your keyboard. One taste might. This is one of those deceptively delicious dishes. It looks like tomato sauce on top of fish on top of sliced potatoes. It tastes like a mouthwatering, tomato-based sauce flavored with garlic, cilantro, and pickled jalapenos layered on top of moist, perfectly cooked fish on top of thin slices of tender potatoes. Sounds more drool-worthy that it looks, right?

Would you drool even more if I told you this is an easy, quick-cooking dinner? If so, grab a napkin my friends, because this recipe is indeed weeknight friendly. And relatively inexpensive. And just oh so good. Oh, and everything cooks in one dish, so there are barely any dishes to wash. Just thought I’d throw that one in there, you know, in case you weren’t already sold.

Tex-Mex Chicken Sausage, Black Bean, and Hominy Soup

Spring may be on the way, but we’re still experiencing crazy temperature swings here in Nashville – 70 degrees one day, 40 degrees the next. I’m sure many of you can relate.  That being said, I’m still in full-on soup mode.  The other day it was gray and drizzling, and I was in the mood for a warm and cozy lunch. Cue the soup – my go-to cold weather lunch.

Today’s recipe was put together from things I already had in my fridge and pantry. Stan and I really like Tex-Mex flavors so things like canned black beans, hominy, taco seasoning mix, and peppers are staples.  Thrown together with some chicken sausage for protein and some lime juice and cilantro to brighten things up, this soup packs a lot of flavor.  It’s also healthy, quick and easy to make, and cheap to boot – all good things in my book.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s flexible. Don’t have a poblano pepper on hand? Use a red or green bell pepper.  Out of black beans?  Try pinto or kidney beans.  Can’t find hominy at your store?  Look in the Mexican food section – or just use a can of corn instead.  You can also adjust the spice level up or down to match your preference – just use more or less taco seasoning.  However you make it, this soup is sure to be a warm, hearty way to beat back the chill while you wait for spring.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Certain flavor combinations have always called to me. Chocolate and peanut butter. Peanut butter and banana. And sure, some savory combos, too – I put garlic and onions in almost everything. One of my more recent flavor loves is the combination of honey and lime. Mixed together, these sweet and tart flavors can be found in cuisines all over the world. (And in my favorite Thai Honey Peanut Chicken/Tofu.)

Today’s recipe takes honey and lime south of the border for some Mexican-style fare. Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. Don’t they just sound delicious? I mean, really. Shreds of juicy chicken coated in a sweet and tangy marinade. Gooey Monterey Jack cheese. Creamy, dreamy, green enchilada sauce enriched with a (not so) healthy dose of cream or half and half. More gooey cheese on top to add a gorgeous golden brown crackle. Heaven.

The fact that these enchiladas are simple to make is really just the icing on the cake. The important thing to note is that you need precooked chicken for this recipe. Otherwise you have to cook some up before you can get on with the filling, the rolling, and the baking. And, you know, the eating. You can use any simply flavored leftover chicken you have on hand; you want the chicken to have relatively plain flavor since you are going to be putting it in a marinade. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, you can quickly poach some chicken breasts or cook them in a little chicken broth in a slow cooker for a few hours.

"Best" Beans and Rice

As I’ve told you before, I have a terrible habit of throwing quick meals together without bothering to write down what I’m doing or taking pictures along the way. Sometimes that’s for the best. I get cranky when I’m hungry and can’t always be bothered with taking pictures, lest I become a crazy, hungry beast. And no, I am not pregnant. Just hungry.

Sometimes, however, my spur of the moment recipe creations are so drool-inducingly good that I kick myself for not taking the extra few minutes to capture what I was doing. For some reason, I seem to do this most often with last-minute pasta dinners and thrown-together-with-odds-and-ends weekend lunches. The latter was the case with this recipe, pulled together with random leftovers from the fridge and pantry staples. And man, oh man, was it good. So good I wished I had taken pictures along the way. Since I didn’t, I immediately typed up a post and the recipe before I could forget it. And then I forgot to make it again… for an entire year.

And let me tell you how stupid I feel about that. I could have (and would have) been eating this regularly for the past year. I don’t often repeat recipes, but I will be making an exception for this one all year long. I call this recipe “Best” Beans and Rice, not necessarily because it’s the best beans and rice I’ve ever had (though it is certainly up there), but rather because it’s the best version of beans and rice I’ve ever made. We always have canned beans and rice hanging out in the pantry, perfect for throwing together meals in a hurry. Over the years, I’ve tried many different variations to spice up those basic ingredients, and while they were always good, they were never really worth sharing with you. This time, however, I think I nailed the recipe on the head.

The combination of whole and ground cumin seeds adds smokiness and spice without heat. The diced green chilies add a slight kick of heat without overpowering the flavor of the other ingredients. Black and pinto beans add body and creaminess, while the rice sort of ties everything together. This dish makes for a savory, flavor-packed meatless entrée, side dish, or burrito filling. Plus it’s simple and inexpensive to make. In my book, it really is the “Best”.

Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chiles

Okay, I held out as long as I could. I know it’s January, the month of healthy eating and dieting resolutions. I tried to give you as many healthy recipes as I could. I haven’t even mentioned dessert so far this month. But the time has come for me to cave. I just have too many delicious (slightly fattening) recipes to tell you about. I hope you’ll forgive me.

Apologies and disclaimers aside, today’s recipe is one I’ve been waiting to tell you about for the last few weeks. It’s a new, fresh, kicked up take on the family-friendly classic chili mac. In this version, lean ground beef and macaroni are cooked up with a delicious mix of onions, garlic, and spices. Corn and green chiles are thrown into the mix to jazz things up a little. Oh, and did I mention the whole thing is topped with gooey cheese and fresh cilantro? Just telling you about it is making my stomach growl.

In addition to the fabulous flavors, let me give you three more reasons why you will love this chili mac. Number One: The entire meal is cooked in one skillet. That means you only have one thing to wash after dinner. Can I get a hallelujah? Number Two: The entire meal can be prepped and ready to hit the table in under 30 minutes. How often does that really happen? Number Three: Leftovers (if you have any) taste just as good as they did the first night. Honestly, I’m a little bummed I don’t have any ground beef in the house so I could make this for dinner tonight!

Superfast Chicken Posole

I know what you’re thinking – and I agree. Soup is not what you typically think of, or even want to eat, when it’s pushing 100 degrees outside. But what if you could have a colorful soup that is bold in flavor and would fill you up without weighing you down? Would you reconsider then? I know I would, but hey, I like soup. And this posole is a winner, no matter the season.

Posole is a traditional Mexican soup/stew that is very popular in the Southwest. I was lucky enough to try an authentic version in Albuquerque, New Mexico a few years back, and I have kept an eye out for it on restaurant menus ever since. Different variations of posole abound, using all types of meats and vegetables. This particular version is a quick and easy take on posole using already cooked chicken breast, hominy, tomatillos, and enough herbs and spices to keep you going back for more. It makes a great weeknight dinner, especially with an icy cold beverage alongside.

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

So, I had this whole witty, anecdotal introduction all planned out for this post. Well, scrap that, because I just can’t wait. I need to tell you about this recipe now. Today’s recipe for creamy black bean salsa chicken might just be the easiest dinner recipe EVER. (You know, if we don’t include cereal or pbj.) Made in a slow cooker, this dinner requires 5 minutes of prep… and that’s it. It is fast, it really could not be easier, and it is delicious. The only down side? It won’t be winning any beauty pageants any time soon. But if you can look past appearances, you are in for a treat. Stan actually said I could give our beloved Chipotle a run for their money with this creamy mix of succulent shredded chicken, plump black beans, and juicy corn.

Now you might be wondering why I’m using a slow cooker, known for producing cold weather comfort foods, in the middle of summer grilling season. Well let me tell you. Yesterday was my first day back at work post-mono, and I didn’t think I’d have it in me to cook dinner when I got home. I wanted dinner to be done and waiting for me. Thank goodness I did, because I was beat! And while it’s true that this dish doesn’t exactly make the most of summer produce, sprinkling some fresh cilantro on top and serving a chunky chopped salad alongside brightens things up nicely.

Calabacitas Casserole

Lately, I feel like I’ve been missing out on what just might be the very best part of summer – farm fresh produce. Stuck inside with my nemesis – aka mono – for the past two weeks, I’ve had to skip my anticipated jaunts to the farmers market, the pick-your-own blueberry farm, and even my beloved Trader Joe’s. As a result, in my crazy (and in my defense, fever-induced) moments, I seem to have adopted something of a produce paranoia. My fears? That the peaches might be gone by the time I’m up and moving around. Berries? Gone til next year. And forget about tomatoes – missed my chance for those summer gems. I know; it’s ridiculous. I blame it on the fever.

The other night, however, I decided I couldn’t handle anymore carb-heavy prepared foods. Even though my taste buds hadn’t returned yet, the health-conscious part of my brain demanded vegetables. Stan’s not exactly into “lighter” fare, so veggie days can take some creative thinking. I’ve been meaning to tell you about this casserole for months, and with several of the ingredients in peak season, this seemed like the perfect time. The fact that I had just about all of the ingredients on hand clinched the decision.

Calabacitas means little squashes in Spanish. It is a traditional Mexican side dish that is made with summer squash, and often with corn, peppers, onions, and other assorted vegetables. This recipe turns Calabacitas into something of a casserole by topping it with slices of prepared polenta and lots of gooey cheese. Bursting with fresh flavors, it is the perfect showcase for summer produce, particularly the zucchini that is so prevalent at this time of year. Served alongside grilled meat or fish, it is a perfect summer side dish. It is also an excellent vegetarian entrée served with a side of black beans.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

Summer is definitely the season for salads, whether at home or at restaurants. And while I love a good salad, for some reason or another, I rarely order entrée salads when I go out to eat. I tend to veer more towards the hearty fare (hello, pasta) or something more exotic than your average restaurant salad. (Salads with fancy/funky ingredients are another story. They capture my interest big time – as do most things with fancy/funky ingredients.)

I think the main reason I tend to avoid entrée salads at restaurants is because I often feel they are something I could make at home. Problem is, I never actually make them. When planning my weekly menus, it almost never crosses my mind to include a main dish salad. While we do eat salad all the time, it’s never the star of the show.

The other day, however, I came across this recipe for Grilled Chicken Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette. It got me to thinking. First thought? This looks good! Second thought? I already have almost all of these ingredients. Third thought? It is ridiculously hot outside, and it would be nice to make a dinner that won’t get the house hot. All that thinking ended up with us having salad on the dinner menu this week.

What can I tell you? I may be a dinner salad convert. This salad was a winner. I tweaked the original recipe bit, and the result was refreshing, flavorful, and – important for a salad dinner – filling. Spicy grilled chicken, smoky grilled corn, creamy black beans, fresh cheese, and rich avocado dress up romaine lettuce and make it shine. This is one dinner salad I will be making all summer long.