Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

The craving for tortilla soup started after meandering aimlessly around Whole Foods. Simply seeing a place marker for Tortilla Soup sent my salivary glands into overdrive. I grabbed a 12 oz insulated cup, ran to the designated tortilla soup cauldron and threw open the lid, and gazed at my soupy reflection in the bottom of the… tortilla soup?

GONE.

So, fulfilling my Cook it Myself mantra of 2009, I found a yummy sounding recipe here

1 1/2 pound boneless chicken — cooked and shredded
1 can whole tomatoes (15-oz.) (I used crushed)
1 can enchilada sauce (10-oz.)
1 medium onion — chopped
1 can chopped green chilies (4-oz.)
1 clove garlic — minced (I used 2, because that’s just how I roll).
2 cups water
1 can chicken broth (14 1/2-oz.)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In your beloved slow cooker combine shredded chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies and garlic.

Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper. Stir in corn.

Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours.

Come home after a long day of watching a kiddo with pnuemonia and NOT going to the gym, and have a delicious, and luckily healthy meal waiting for you!

I like to serve mine up with hastily chopped cilantro, avocado, and cheese of choice!

This was so easy and I woke up early to throw it together and still had enough time to catch up on Google Reader before reporting to duty.
I baked the chicken breast the night before, and it took me ~15 minutes to throw it all in the crock pot.

All in all, way more satisfying then an overpriced indulgence at Whole Foods.

Enjoy!

Easy Granola!!

I’ve been known to be a follower, a copy-cat, a _____. But when there something this delicious, yes I am a follower. However!! I did tweak the recipe a bit, well found a new one. Just because I’m not a huge fan of maple.

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. Whisk in the vanilla.

Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish mixing by hand. Spread granola in a 15×10 inch baking pan I actually had to spread in 2 different pans.

Bake 20 minutes, check (some granola makers advise flipping sections over like cookies, but I didn’t. Cook 20 more minutes. 
Transfer granola-filled pan to a rack to cool completely. Then sprinkle cranberries, raisins, or anything else that tickles your taste buds over the top. Break your granola into pieces and you’re done! Yum!

Seal granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months. (I doubt mine will last this long)!

Overall, I was really surprised at how incredibly easy this was; I’ve been putting it off for so long. Addendum to New Years Resolutions: Never buy granola again!

Enjoy!