Lion House Taco Soup

Oh how we love Mexican food at our house.  One thing I  just can't resist when we go out for Mexican is the tortilla chips and salsa.  So this soup becomes irresistible for me when you add tortilla chips.  And don't forget the cheese (my kid's favorite addition) and sour cream. This is comfort food at it's greatest, in my opinion.  I grew up having this soup and now make it often for my own family. It is so delicious and SO easy.  

It's the perfect food to make on a cold, wintery day because it's hearty, filling, thick, and packed with flavor.  I love the combination of beans, corn, onions, tomatoes, and taco flavoring.  I also love that I always have the ingredients on hand and can whip it up in a pinch.  You could also throw it in the crock pot in the morning and let the flavors meld together all day.  It's always yummy the first day--but even better the second day as everything marries together.  I've modified the recipe a little bit and do two different kinds of beans for even more protein and fiber.  When my kid's were small and wouldn't eat soup, I'd buy the "scoop" type of tortilla chips and put little spoonfuls of it in each chip and they'd gobble their "boats" up with no complaining!

Lion House Taco Soup adapted from "The Lion House Cookbook"

Brown together:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion

Add:

1 16oz can black beans (drained)

1 16oz can pinto beans (drained)--or another kind you like better

1 16oz can cut corn (drained)

1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 16oz can tomato sauce

1/2 pkg mild taco seasoning (more if desired)

Simmer 20 minutes.  Serve over tortilla chips and top with cheese and sour cream.

Tips: I throw the beans and corn into a colander to drain them and then I rinse them off with water.  I'm not sure if that makes it more nutritious but I feel better about it that way.  I often add the taco seasoning and then taste it to see if it needs a little bit more. 

Christmas Dinner

Wondering what to make on Christmas Eve or Christmas day?  I've compiled a list of a few of our very favorites--many that I'll be making this weekend as well.  I love the holidays and love getting in the kitchen and making our traditional meals and treats.  We always do ham on Christmas Eve and our favorite breakfast casserole on Christmas morning.  We also make sugar cookies to leave out for Santa with a big glass of milk.  So here are some of our tried and true holiday favorites.  Merry Christmas!
(Just click on the recipe names and it will take you right to the recipe)

SIDES

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Brown Sugar Carrots

Cheesy Potatoes 

Barbeque Green Beans

BREADS

Amazing Rolls!

Cinnamon Rolls (Christmas morning tradition)

Butterscotch Bundt Rolls

SALADS

7-up Salad

Spinach Salad

Berry Salad

APPETIZER/DRINK/SNACK 

Apple Brickle Dip

Creamy Crockpot Hot Chocolate

Candy Chex Mix

Cauliflower Soup

 DESSERT

Moist Orange Carrot Cake

Andes Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Divine Chocolate Mint Cookies

Gingersnaps

Not Pictured (but I just had to add them):

Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Blondies

Oreo Truffles

Apple Spice Bars

Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Cauliflower Soup

It snowed here today for the first time of the season!  It finally feels like the holidays.  I want to wrap up in a blanket and sit by the fire. So it feels like the perfect day to post a yummy, flavorful soup that we made this weekend.  I got this fabulous recipe from the meeting I'd posted about a week or two ago.  This recipe is so delicious and a fantastic comfort food to make on a cold, snowy day. The  finely chopped cauliflower and celery combine incredibly well with the base of chicken flavor and thickened evaporated milk.  The ingredient list is surprisingly short but don't let that fool you--the flavors marry perfectly. My kids both even had seconds of this!  We love the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup at Zupas and my husband said it had the same exact flavor but just with delicious chunks (as that one is pureed).  We will definitely be making this one again!  It's such a nice change from the standard soup.

Cauliflower Soup from Valarie Andrus

4 cubes chicken bullion

4 C. water

1 head cauliflower

2 stems celery

12oz. can evaporated milk

5 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. flour

salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan, dissolve bullion cubes in boiling water.  Add finely chopped cauliflower and celery and cook until vegetables are soft.  In a separate bowl stir flour into melted butter to make a paste.  Stir evaporated milk into the paste until smooth.  Add to the broth mixture and stir with wire whisk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with crackers and sprinkle with cheddar cheese if desired.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

 I was a little bit leery that a tortilla soup that was literally made by throwing six cans of ingredients together could be good. But oh how wrong I was! Not only is this the easiest meal I've made in a long time (a huge, huge plus in my book) but it was also awesome! I only doctored it up a little bit by adding a couple of spices. It was also really filling. The flavors are even better on the second day when they have had a chance to marry better (like a lot of mexican meals). And might I also add that I'm also usually not a huge fan of canned chicken but I added it to stick with the "easy" theme. It honestly tasted so good in it! I used the Costco Kirkland brand--which seems to be really high quality. I'm off to eat the leftovers--yum! This is one soup that you could play around with and change to your own liking by adding more ingredients, too.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup adapted from Allrecipes

1 (15oz) can whole kernal corn, drained

1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (10oz) can chunk chicken

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained

1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers

1 tsp lime

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1. Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, cream of chicken, chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Add spices and lime juice. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. Top with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips or chips.

**I just cut some corn tortillas into strips and cooked then for about 10 minutes in the oven and made my own tortilla strips. They tasted awesome with it!

Serves: 8 ; Weight Watchers Points+: 4

Calories: 133   Carbs: 19   Fat: 2   Protein: 12

Awesome soup!

This is a favorite at our house! It is the perfect comfort food on a cold day. The flavors in this are incredible! The bacon combined with the onions, red pepper, and corn are unbelievable. My husband (who normally doesn't think soup can be considered dinner) always asks for this one. It's really good!

Southwestern Corn Chowder from Ann E.

5 slices bacon, cut into tiny strips
1 large onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into small strips
4 cups chicken stock or two 14 ½ oz. chicken broth plus 1/3 cup water
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
3 cups fresh or thawed corn
¾ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
¾ cup cream

1. In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Using a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. There should be about 1 tbsp. fat remaining in the pot, pour off any excess.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the stock and potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and boil gently until the potatoes are almost tender 8 to 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook until the potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to low. Transfer about ½ cup of the corn and potatoes, along with about ½ cup of the broth to blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper; stir in the cream and reserved bacon. Heat the soup through. Serves 8. This soup has awesome flavor and is really good!