Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

I've got a soup to spice up your weekend.

Loving Latin flavors this soup is right up my alley.  If you love them too, you'll just die over this soup.  It's not your typical tortilla soup.  This one, inspired by Paula Deen , is white in color.  Yes, white.  It also has several types of green chilies.  Yum for green chilies.  A mild tart flavor that just calls me.  I think it started in the 80's with Enchiladas Suizas...but I digress.

Oh, and another important 'green' item is tomatillos.  Have you cooked with them yet?  They have the most fabulous flavor!  This is a good way to experiment with them.  The canned variety is used here for ease or making the soup.

Her method is interesting.  She actually poaches the chicken in the soup and then removes it it shred and replaces it back to finish it off.  I was eager to try this, and we were both glad I did.  The end result was a wonderful warming spicy (with flavor, not heat) soup with excellent flavor!  You've gotta try this one.  

Thanks to Paula for the creativeness of this soup!

Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

adapted from Cooking with Paul Deen January/February 2013

Serves 4 - 6

2 T canola oil, divided
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 c chopped poblano pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 c chicken broth
1 28 oz can of tomatillos, drained and chopped
1 T cumin
2 t dried thyme
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
Garnish: fried tortilla strips

In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add add chicken, and brown both sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove chicken.  Add remaining tablespoon of oil, heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion, poblano, and garlic.  Cook about 7 minutes or until onion has softened.  

Add a couple of tablespoons of the broth and scrape up any browned bits.  Add remaining broth and cumin and thyme.  Add chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken has cooked through.  

Remove chicken from the pot and cool slightly.  Shred meat and return to the pot.  Stir in sour cream and cilantro.  Serve topped with tortilla chips. 

Thyme Pork Chops with Quick Cooked Apples

I'm on a quick meal kick!

I've been rushing home to make a quick dinner so I can go outside and play!  The weather outside is gorgeous right now.  Spring has sprung in Southern California and the evenings are cool and nice.  So what better way to enjoy the extra daylight hours that by going outside and walking.  

I usually take a nice long walk in the park and watch the kids play soccer, dogs chasing balls, and I've even seen some guys practicing fly fishing!  So a quick meal is in order so I can get outside, take in the fresh air, exercise, and discover new sites.

I was inspired to make this meal that I saw in a Clean Eating magazine.  They actually were plugging this dish as a breakfast (southern comfort food) dish, but I spotted pork chops and immediately thought dinner.  Apples and pork go well together, and this version of a semi-steamed apple is just perfect along side some pork chops spiced up with thyme.  Thyme being one of my favorite herbs, I use it quite often.  Fresh thyme is readily available from the store however, in this dish dried thyme works just great. 

The magazine used bone in chops, but use what you have. I used some nice thick boneless pork loin chops, they turned out juicy and tender. For the apples it's best to use a soft apples since it cooks and softens in a short cooking time. Red Delicious apples are a good choice.

This dish can be made in 20 minutes. Love that! More time for me and the great outdoors. It's healthy, tasty, and easy to make. You only need a few ingredient and it satisfies your tummy and your senses. Warm cinnamon anyone? Yum!

Hope you give this a try.  Come back and let me know what you think.

Thyme Pork Chops with Quick Cooked Apples

Adapted from Clean Eating

Serves: 4

Time: 20 minutes

PORK

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t onion powder

1/4 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

1 t canola oil

4 boneless pork loin chops

APPLES

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp raisins, cut in half

2 small Red Delicious apples halved, cored and skin pierced several times

1/4 c chopped unsalted pecan pieces

2 t honey

1/2 t vanilla

In a small bowl, combine thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.   Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high. Season both sides of pork chops with spice mixture and cook in skillet for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until barely pink in center.

Meanwhile, prepare apples: In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons water and cinnamon and pour into a medium nonstick skillet. Sprinkle raisins evenly over top, then place apples, cut-sides-down, in skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer for 4 minutes or until apples are just tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove only apples from skillet and place, cut-sides-up, on a serving platter. Stir pecans, honey, and vanilla into skillet and spoon mixture over top of each apple half, dividing evenly. Serve with pork chops. 

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Summer Squash

 Need a quick weeknight meal?

One of the things I love to do is buy beef on sale and freeze it for later use.  It saves me money by taking advantage of the sales prices and allows me to treat ourselves to some wonderful beef when we crave that meaty flavor.  Most often we eat chicken, so beef a couple times a month is a great treat.  Especially a steak! Yum! My absolute favorite.

So I had a nice sirloin steak in the freezer.  I love this cut because of it's versatility. I think our favorite way to make it is to cook it whole, with special seasonings or with a sauce, and slicing it across the grain in long strips.  A great cut of beef which is easy to cook.  Perfect for the grill or inside in a skillet.  

This wonderful dish can be made in 30 minutes, which is perfect for a weeknight.  Very few ingredients and the result is bursting with flavor.  The steak is accompanies by an easy balsamic sauce.  Served alongside is a wonderful vegetable.  Summer squash is perfect with this dish.  Simply saute the squash with some garlic to give it a nice kick.  It goes so well with the steak.  A nice crusty bread and you are done...dinner's on!

I found the inspiration for this recipe on Everyday Food.  Martha is a perfect source for quick yet flavorful meals.  She also makes items simple, and easily adaptable to your taste as I have done here.  The original recipe calls for skirt steak and zucchini, and as you can see I substituted what I had on hand and it turned out just fabulous!

Take Martha's word for it...it's a good thing!

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Summer Squash

adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, September 2012

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

2 T olive oil, divided

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium summer squash, cut into thin half-moons

salt and pepper

1 pound top sirloin steak

3/4 c balsamic vinegar

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add garlic and squash, season with salt and pepper, and saute until zucchini is tender and browned in spots, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet. Season steak with salt and pepper and cook about 7 minutes per side for medium, or until desired doneness.  Transfer to a plate and loosely tent with foil.

Discard fat from skillet, add vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Slice steak across the grain.  Add any accumulated juices from steak to skillet and stir to combine. Drizzle steak with sauce and serve alongside squash.