Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Slow Cooker

Monday's are my hardest cooking days.  My daughter has ballet until 5:30 so I try to cook ahead so that by the time we get home there is just reheating or last minute preparations.  Today was no exception and after a very sunny weekend we are covered with a chilly, gloomy marine layer.  My son is home from school with a cold and I am a bit rough around the edges myself.  In other words, the perfect day for soup.

I've tried a variety of Chicken Tortilla soup recipes but none in the slow cooker. The slow cooker did the work for me and this is hands down the tastiest Chicken Tortilla soup I have ever made.  Everyone in my family LOVED it and it could not have been easier.  I literally threw all the ingredients in and just left it alone.  This recipe is taking it's place in our top ten.  It is that good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the slow cooker

1 lb shredded, cooked chicken (I boiled chicken breasts in water and let them cool before shredding)

15 oz. peeled tomatoes, mashed (I prefer to use tomatoes from boxes like this to avoid the BPA found in cans.)

16 oz. enchilada sauce (I use sauce from a jar, not a can)

4 oz. chopped green chili peppers (these are from a can, if you know of an alternative to canned, let me know!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon each cumin, chili powder, salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 bay leaf (make sure to remove when soup is done)

12 ounces packaged frozen corn

1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro + more for garnish

7 corn tortillas to make baked tortilla chips for garnish

sliced avocado for garnish

light sour cream for garnish
juice from a fresh lime

Put all ingredients (chicken through to cilantro) in slow cooker and cook covered for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

When the soup is nearly done prepare the tortillas by lightly spraying with vegetable or olive oil spray (I prefer olive oil.)  Cut into thin strips and spread on lightly sprayed cooked sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees until crisp, about 15 minutes.

Serve soup garnished with tortilla strips, sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.  Add a squeeze of lime juice.

My sweet little girl wants to be just like her mommy. She styled and photographed her own bowl and asked me to put it on her blog. So cute!!

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French Pot Roast

Yesterday started with a short rain and cooler temperatures.  The fall weather was perfect for trying a new recipe in my beloved slow cooker.  This beef stew was the perfect meal for date night snuggled on the sofa watching a movie.

Here is my recipe, adapted from something I found on the internet.

Ingredients

3 strips bacon cut into strips
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 lb roast, excess fat removed, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 bottle dry red wine
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 package frozen pearl onions
4 small yukon gold potatoes, quartered (skin on)
1 cup carrots, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat a large skittet or non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp.  Remove bacon and set aside leaving fat in pan on the heat.

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a sealable plastic bag.  Working in batches, add the beef and coat well with flour mixture; remove from bag and shake off excess flour.  Add the pieces to the hot pan and cook until all sides are golden brown.

Remove the beef and add to slow cooker.  When all the beef has been browned, add 1 cup wine to the hot pan and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Pour over beef, along with rest of the wine, the beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, bacon pieces, carrots and potatoes.

Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours until the beef is very tender.  In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the pearl onions.  A few minutes before serving add the peas and simmer for a few minutes to cook through.  Discard the bay leaves.

Serve the stew by itself or over egg noodles with a good ladle of broth.  Don't forget a piece of good french bread to mop up the broth. This recipe tastes even better the next day.  My kids loved it for lunch today!