Taco Soup
The weather has been getting progressively cooler here. And that means soup season is upon us. Also, somehow, my schedule seems to be filling up, which means that I use my crock pot more often. This recipe is adapted from my grandma’s taco soup. It’s easy, feeds a crowd inexpensively, and just plain tastes good. If chicken isn’t your thing, feel free to use hamburger. No crock pot? You can easily make this recipe on the stove top, but in that case I’d definitely used canned beans instead of dry.
To start, add a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and a can of corn kernels into your crock.
Then add dry or canned pinto beans and chicken breasts (I used whole, frozen). Also stir in a package of low sodium taco seasoning (or a tablespoon of your favorite homemade taco seasoning) and enough water to cover everything well. Turn your crock pot on low and walk away for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, remove the chicken and shred or dice it. Put it back in the soup, give it a stir and serve with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Yes, it really is that simple and so delicious.
Recipe:
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 cup dried pinto beans (or one can pinto beans)
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
water to cover
tortilla chips for serving
shredded cheese for serving
Place first 5 ingredients in a crock pot. Stir. Add enough water to cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.
Before serving, remove chicken from crock pot and dice or shred. Return to crock. Stir.
Serve with crumbled tortilla chips and shredded cheese.
More Than Microwaving – Taco Cupcakes
Yeah, I said it. Taco Cupcakes. They only resemble a cupcake in shape and size, so don’t gross yourself out thinking about sugary sweet tacos with frosting (ick!).My kids LOVE these. First, they’re called cupcakes. Second, they’re just the right size for little hands. Third, you don’t have to worry about the shells snapping in half or having your filling leak out the back. Also, they travel well in lunch boxes. Sometimes, I mix up fresh taco filling just for these, but more often I use whatever taco filling we have left and make these for lunch.
Spray your muffin pan if it’s not the silicone variety. Press a won ton wrapper into each hole. Spoon a spoonful of refried beans onto the won ton.
Top beans with cheese and a second won ton skin. Top that won ton skin with taco meat (I used leftover chicken) and more cheese. You’ll see some in the picture with only one layer. My picky kiddo doesn’t like cheese on his meat. Those are his. Just won ton skin, beans and taco meat.
Pop these in a 350* oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden. Let them cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
Recipe:
12 won ton skins
1/2 cup refried beans
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 cup taco meat
Preheat oven to 350*. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Line 6 muffin cups with a won ton skin. Place a heaping tablespoon of refried beans on top of each won ton skin. Top beans with half the cheese. Place a second won ton skin in each muffin cup and press down gently to spread beans and cheese evenly over the bottom of the muffin cup. Top this second skin with taco meat (about 2 Tablespoons). Top meat with remaining cheese. Bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and won ton edges are brown and crispy. Let stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Grilled Pork Tacos with Peach and Corn Relish
What could be better than pork tacos? Pork tacos topped with grilled peaches, corn and roasted peppers. I swear this taco tastes like summer. And for the record, I totally ate the peach and corn relish for lunch today, by itself, with a spoon. Yup, it is that good. I only managed to snap one picture on Tuesday, but it’s enough to whet your appetite. The recipe takes a little more time than some of my others, but there is nothing particularly difficult and it is oh so worth the effort.
Recipe:
1-2 dried ancho chiles
2-3 dried guajillo chiles
1 cup hot water
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 2lb pork loin
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno
2 ears corn, husks and silks removed
1 large or 2 small peach(es)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
corn tortillas
oil
Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles. Break chiles in half and soak in hot water until rehydrated (I think I left mine for an hour or so, but you could probably do less). Pour liquid, chiles, garlic cloves, cumin and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Pour chile paste over pork loin in a shallow dish or ziplock bag and marinate for 2-3 hours.
Preheat your grill. Remove pork loin from marinade, but don’t scrape off the paste that sticks. Place loin on grill and sear over direct heat for 5 minutes on each side. Move loin off of direct heat and continue cooking until desired doneness (I cooked mine for about an hour and a half).
Toward the end of the cooking time, Place corn, bell pepper and jalapeno over direct heat. Cut peach(es) in half and remove pit. Add the peach, flesh side down, when you flip the vegetables.
Remove everything from the grill when the peppers are charred and the corn and peach are roasted. Set pork loin to rest while you prepare the relish. Peel, seed and dice the peppers (I like to mince my jalapeno). Cut corn off the cob. Dice peach. Place diced vegetables and peach in a bowl and add garlic powder, onion powder and salt to taste.
Brush both sides of corn tortillas with oil and heat over the grill until soften and slightly charred, flipping once.
Slice pork loin into strips. Pile tortilla with pork strips and relish and dig in.
More Than Meatloaf 