Tortilla Soup

I took about 5 different recipes and made this tortilla soup that turned into quite a winner!



Tortilla Soup



Ingredients:

I red bell pepper, spilt and seeded

1 cup of frozen corn

2 large chicken breasts, diced (about a pound)

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

1 small zuchinni, diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 chipotle in adobo (2 if you like it REALLY hot), chopped with 1T of sauce
2 (14 oz) cans of stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
3 cups of low sodium chicken stock

Garnish options:
Tortilla chips, broken into large pieces
1/2 cup cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup low fat sour cream (or better yet- plain yogurt)
Chopped red onion
Chopped cilantro
Diced Avocado

Directions:
Place red pepper cut side down on cookie sheet, with frozen corn. Broil until corn is lightly charred and red pepper skin is black (8 minutes or so). Place red pepper in glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Remove charred skin and dice red pepper.

While veggies are cooking, heat 1T oil in large soup pot over hight heat. Add chicken, poultry season, cumin, salt and pepper. When chicken starts to brown, add zuchinni, onion,s garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Stir in corn and red pepper, and heat until warmed through.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes.

Eating Out: Mexican

The more conversations I have with people, the more ideas I come up with for this blog. Last night I had a conversation with my neighbor Jen, about eating out. It occured to be that this would be another good blog topic.

It's hard to come up with a healthy choice when you are eating Mexican. The meat is not very lean, typically fried, and served with fatty sauces, sour cream and cheese.

The healthiest choice at a Mexican Restaurant is fajitas. While the meat may still not be the leanest cut, you are building your own meal, so you can make it a little healthier. Choose to load up on the grilled peppers and onions, and limit the cheese and sour cream.  Guacamole, if made mostly from avacado and tomato is full of healthy fats... but beware of Guac that is extra creamy and may contain sour cream or cream cheese.

If all else fails; do what EVERY eating out expert will tell you: Ask to a to go box when you get your meal and immediately pack half away. Whether you toss it, or eat it the next day, you've saved some calories.

Remember: Chips and tortillas are full of bad fat, so while salsa is a great way to get veggies in...watch the chip intake!

Taco Seasoning

Tacos are a fun easy dinner. Sure the sour cream and cheese aren't the greatest for you, but you can buy low fat sour cream (or even better, use plain greek yogurt) and choose low fat cheese. One of the killers of a taco dinner is the salt in the taco seasoning mix. This seasoning recipe is considerably lower in salt, and is made of panty staples.

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

p.s. If you find you don't have any of these seasonings on hand... BUY THEM... they are staples you will use a lot if you keep using Healthy Plate recipes! :)

p.p.s. I think I just came up with another blog opportunity- pantry staples!