Chicken Tortilla Soup with The Kids Cook Monday!

 

Is it starting to get a little cooler where you live?  It's still warm here in Florida but we've been having cooler mornings and nights so I know our Fall weather will be here shortly.  It's the perfect time for soup (even though I love eating homemade soup anytime of the year). 

I thought this would be a great chance to try a new soup recipe for a healthy start to the week.  Make sure to check out the website for The Kids Cook Monday!  for tips and ideas on how to start your week off in a positive way.  

This soup is comforting and filling.  It's full of good for you ingredients and was enjoyed by all.  I recommend adding salt to taste and adding more chili powder or cayenne pepper if you like your tortilla soup a bit more spicy. 

I love discovering new blogs.  I get so many recipe ideas and inspiration.  This recipe comes from the blog, Skinny Kitchen.   Check it out for more ideas on making meals healthier.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slightly adapted, Recipe by Skinny Kitchen

5 - 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ - 2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 (6-inch) corn tortillas, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin 
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
6 to 6 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes - I used fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (14 oz) can yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (14 oz) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked chopped chicken - see cooking tip at bottom of post
Juice of one lime

Topping

1 ¼ cups tortilla chips, crushed
Shredded Cheddar cheese - optional

Instructions

1. In a large nonstick pot, add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add the chopped tortillas, tomato paste, paprika, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring up to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the hominy, beans, chicken and fresh squeezed lime juice. Mix well. Cook 10 minutes more.
5. Garnish with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

I've never used Hominy before and honestly didn't know what it was.  Good time for a learning opportunity. So, Mariah looked it up on the internet. 

Per Recipetips.com, Hominy is:  "A corn product created by soaking white or yellow corn kernels in scalding water that is mixed with a chemical solution, such as a mild lye or slaked lime. The soaking forces the kernel to expand so the hull and germ split. This allows the kernel to be easily removed so that the remaining corn substance can be dried. After it has been dried, the whole kernels are soaked in water and a solution mixed with limestone or wood ash to expand the kernels, which are then boiled, creating a soft puffy food product referred to as Hominy.  Whole hominy can be boiled or fried and served as a side dish, with or without additional ingredients (meat, vegetables, or other foods), formed into cakes, or served as a filler in soups, stews and salads. Hominy grits are another form of hominy, produced by grinding the dried and processed corn kernels several times into a finer grained substance to be sold as fine, medium, or coarse textured hominy." 

The girls really helped me out in the kitchen today.  Marissa cut up the cooked chicken and helped pour in some of the ingredients like the beans and diced tomatoes.  Mariah sauteed the onions as I was busy prepping the other ingredients.

 

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  Time saving tip for cooked chicken - Roast chicken breasts the night before or in morning.  Place in refrigerator.  You then have cooked chicken ready to use in your recipe that is moist, juicy and flavorful.  Directions:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Use chicken breasts with bones and skin and place on baking sheet.  Drizzle some canola or olive oil over chicken and season with salt/pepper.  Place in top portion of oven and roast for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Pull off skin and discard.  Shred or cut up cooked chicken as needed in your recipe.