Chicken Enchilada Soup

I'm a biggggggg fan of eating soup.

It doesn't really have to be cold out either.

I eat soup year round and always have a bunch in my freezer.

So when I ran across this recipe last Fall I knew I would be making it.

Not too long after finding it, I made it and it was so darn delicious!

I've made it a few more times and knew I had to share because it's that good!

And the best part is that it's made in the slow cooker!

So not only is it really tasty, but it's super easy to make too.

Let me show you how simple it really is.

The Goods:

Chicken Breasts

Yellow Onion

Garlic

Jalapenos

Corn

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Cilantro

Diced Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Chicken Broth

Cayenne Pepper

Chili Powder

Cumin

Pepper Jack Cheese

Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.

Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.

Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.

Now time to add the chicken broth.

And finally the spices and tomato paste.

Stir everything up until it's mixed well.

Cook on high for four and a half hours.

Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese.

Cook for about 30 more minutes.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred.

Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Dig in and enjoy as is!

Or add something extra like soup cream or avocado!!!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Adapted from Carolina Charm

2 large Chicken Breasts

1 Large Yellow Onion - Diced

4 Cloves Garlic - Minced

2 Large Jalapenos - Minced

2 Cups Frozen Corn

1 Bell Pepper - Diced

1 Can Black Beans - Rinsed and Drained

1 Bunch Cilantro - Minced

(2) 14.5 Ounce Cans Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Tomato Paste

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin

1/2 Cup Pepper Jack Cheese - Shredded

1. Place your raw chicken breasts at the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Add your diced bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and garlic.
3. Next add your dice tomatoes, black beans and corn.
4. Now time to add the chicken broth.
5. And finally the spices and tomato paste.
6. Stir everything up until it's mixed well.
7. Cook on high for four to four and a half hours.
8. Stir in minced cilantro and shredded pepper jack cheese and cook for about 30 more minutes.
9. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. 
10. Return to soup, mix in and serve yourself a bowl!

Spicy Turkey Nachos

MMMMM nachos!!!

Boy do I love me some nachos.

If I'm craving them, I have to have them.

Otherwise the craving just never goes away.

I will seriously crave them until I have some!

And now that I've gone on and on about my love of nachos,

let me show you how to make some that are super easy and tasty!

The Goods:

Tortilla Chips

Taco Meat

Spanish Rice

Black Beans

Shredded Cheese

Avocado

Pickled Jalapenos

Green Onions

Plain Greek Yogurt

Fresh Lime

I like to layer all the goodies, so I don't end up with all the hearty stuff on top,

and just sad, dry, boring chips left alone on the bottom.

For this batch, I did the following:

A thin layer of chips, followed by meat, beans, and rice.

Then sprinkled some cheese on top of that layer.

Followed by two more layers done the exact same way.

Lastly, I added some jalapenos to the top layer.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees,

then pop your nacho dish in the oven for a few minutes.

Keep an eye on it, and pull it out when the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Once it's nice and hot, remove from the oven and

add fresh squeezed lime, avocado, green onions and greek yogurt.

Now grab a ton of napkins (this IS finger food) and dig in!!!

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

One of my friends is always posting pictures of dinners she makes.

They always look so good and make me so hungry!

She recently posted Stuffed Peppers that she made.

They looked amazing and I couldn't help but ask for her recipe.

She didn't follow a recipe, but instead just made it up herself.

I was impressed and couldn't wait to make them!

And now here I am sharing their deliciousness with YOU!!!

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa

Ground Turkey

Onion

Garlic

Jalapeno

Bell Peppers

Corn

Black Beans

Green Chilis

Tomato Sauce

Taco Seasoning

Cheddar Cheese (Not pictured - oops!)

Saute your onion and garlic until fragrant.

Add chipped jalapeno and ground turkey.

Cook until the ground turkey is browned.

Season with taco seasoning and then add tomato sauce.

Stir to combine with ground turkey mixture.

Add your corn and black beans, then stir again.

Now time for the quinoa!

Add that and stir.

Last, add the green chili and stir one last time.

Prep your peppers by washing, deseeding and cutting them in half.

Then stuff, and I mean STUFF, them with your turkey quinoa mixture.

Spray your covered baking dish with cooking spray.

Add the number of peppers you want to bake and cover with cheese.

I only baked three of the eight I prepared,

but froze the remaining ones to bake sometime soon!

Cover the baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

Ta da!

Now time to dig in and enjoy!!!

If you want the peppers to be less crisp, you can do one of two things:

1. Cook a little bit longer 

or 

2. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the dish before baking.

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

4 to 5 bell peppers

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 onion - chopped

1 garlic clove - minced

1 jalapeno - minced

1/2 cup black beans

1/2 cup corn

1 can green chilies - diced

7 oz can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon taco seasoning

fresh cilantro

fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

cheddar cheese - shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant. 
3. Add jalapeño and cook one minute.
4. Add ground turkey and brown.
5. Season with salt, pepper and taco seasoning.
6. After five minutes or so, add tomato sauce 
7. Once cooked, combine in a bowl with quinoa, black beans, corn and green chiles.
8. Add chopped cilantro and parsley to your liking
9. Put mixture into peppers. 
10. Spray a Dutch oven. Put the peppers into a Dutch oven and cover the peppers with cheese. 
11. Put the lid on and bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Homemade Soup: Taco Soup

I saw this soup recipe on a blog I read and it sounded amazing!

I couldn't wait to make it and give it a try.

I did so not too long after spotting the recipe.

And I haven't blogged about a homemade soup in awhile,

so I thought it was time I shared another yummy soup on my blog.

This recipe is so easy to make and gives you quite a few servings. 

I made enough to eat for a few meals and then freeze some for later.
(Note: I've found that it's easier to freeze soup in individual servings.)

Take a look below at the process and then give it a try.

I'm pretty sure you'll like the outcome - I sure did!

The Goods:

 Ground Turkey (or Beef)

Taco Seasoning - Packet or Homemade

Onion

Bell Pepper

Black Beans

Kidney Beans

Pinto Beans

Corn

Rotel Tomatoes

Diced Tomatoes

Ranch Packet

Brown the meat, add the onions and bell pepper and sauté.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Simmer at least 30 minutes - if not longer.

Garnish with Sour Cream, Cheese and Green Onions!

Dig in and ENJOY!!!!

Homemade Soup: Spicy Southwest Chicken Soup

Awhile ago I was telling my friend about this soup, and I told her I'd send her a link thinking I'd already posted about it's deliciousness. When I went to find the link to send it to her, it wasn't there! I was wrong. I hadn't shared this soup on my blog, but I thought I had, and I'm sorry.

While browsing recipes online one day, I found this recipe and saved it because it sounded amazing! I made it not too long after, and I could have SWORN I'd blogged about it (see above!), but I guess I sorta forgot...

When I first realized I hadn't blogged about the soup, I figured I'd make it again eventually,  but eventually was quite awhile later sadly!

It's been pretty cold in LA lately, and I've been making a lot of soup recently, so I wanted to do something different. After browsing some recipes online, I realized I should and needed to make this soup again! I wanted something I  haven't had in awhile and I could finally blog about it - that's a double win!

The original recipe uses a crock pot, and while I love mine, I like to simmer my soups instead. With that said, I did a few things differently because I wasn't using my crock pot. Feel free to stick with the original recipe, or switch it up like I did. I'm sure either way would be great!

So without saying anything more, let me show you how to make this soup yourself.

The Goods:

Chicken

Blackened Seasoning (Not Pictured - OOPS)

Olive Oil

Rotel

Tomato Sauce

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

Corn

Black Beans

Onion

Garlic

Cumin

Salt

Homemade Chicken Broth

Saute the Onions a few minutes...

Then add the garlic and saute another minute or two.

Throw in the can of Rotel and stir to combine.

Add a tablespoon or so of Chipotle Peppers.

I like mine spicy, so adjust accordingly. 

Throw in the corn...

And the black beans too!

Now add the Tomato Sauce...

Finally it's time for the Chicken Broth. 

Let it simmer at least a half hour - if not more.

It'd been so long since I originally made this soup that I forgot how good it really was! I'm now wowndering why I waited so long to make it again and I'm really glad I made enough to freeze some.  I will definitely be filing this recipe away to make again!