My Chicken Tortilla Soup

So now since it is officially FALL , I thought I'd make a soup for dinner! So Here is what I made. It was really quite easy. I used no recipe, so keep in mind the amounts I put in are estimates of what I used. Soup is really easy to make and difficult to mess up. So just taste it as you go and add more of whatever ingredients you think it needs. Everyone knows what tastes good to them!

MY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced (if you like hot, add the seeds)

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 TBS chili powder

1/2 - 1 tsp of cumin

about 32 oz carton of chicken broth, I used ALMOST all

about 1/4 cup salsa, I used the Tostitos brand

15 oz can of corn, drained

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded OR you can use rotissere chicken and shred it

cilantro and lime for garnish -Definitely use these it you like them, adds a yummy brightness to the dish!

crushed tortilla chips

Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapeno until onions translucent. Add onion powder and cumin. Cook for a minute. Add the chicken broth, salsa, corn and black black beans. Let simmer for a couple of minutes, then add chicken. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Garnish with the cilantro, some lime juice, and crushed tortilla chips!

Remember, you can add or take out whatever you like or dislike. This is just what I had at home in my kitchen. Taste as you go. This turned out pretty flavorful and I didn't need to add any salt. But do what you need to do to make it flavorful for you!

I served this with cornbread. I have this really yummy recipe that I use all the time for cornbread. Got it from The Essential Mormon Cookbook. Haha, its a book I got when my husband and I were married and actually got some pretty good recipes from it! It's more on the sweet side, and is soooo moist! You don't need to slather butter or anything on it.

For you weary-eyed health conscious folks, this is a good cornbread recipe, just try it! It can be the dessert, too! (P.S. the soup is relatively very healthy, just don't add the tortilla chips) You'll be just fine!

Corn Bread

1/2 cup of butter, room temperature-very important, so that it blends completely in batter, no butter chunks. (yes that is a full stick, that is what makes it soo good!)

1 cup sugar (yes, this too makes it very yummy)

2 eggs

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl blend the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Combine the wet mixture, dry mixture, and milk. Blend. Bake in greased 8 X 8-inch pan at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Makes 6 servings

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Gravy

Not the best pic, poor lighting in my apt and I'm not a pro photographer!

I made this for Sunday dinner when we had Josh's parents over. This is a combination of Rachel Ray and Ellie Krieger recipes. I really like pork tenderloin because it is pretty lean and it cooks relatively quickly! Don't get confused with pork LOIN. Pork TENDERLOIN is a smaller and leaner. Each tenderloin on average weighs about 1 lb. So I made two tenderloins (2lbs) for four people on purpose so that I could have left overs for the next day!

I made this rub for the two tenderloins:

1 TB of the McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal seasoning. (You can find this at the grocery store and it's a great easy way to flavor meat)

2 tsp fresh lemon zest

2 TB fresh thymer leaves chopped

Rub a little olive oil around the tenderloins. Then combine the rub ingredients in a bowl and rub all over the tenderloins.

I seared the tenderloins on all sides in a hot skillet ( just until it was browned outside).

Place the meat in a roast pan or you can use a glass dish. Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes. I believe it is about 25-30minutes each pound at 325 degrees. The best way to do it is to use a meat thermometer and take it out when the internal meat temp reaches 155-160 degrees. I didn't have a thermometer and this timing worked just fine.

Wait 10 minutes until you slice it. This helps the juice of the meat to stay inside, instead of run out. (Keeps it moist)

Apple Cider Gravy

4 tsp canola oil

2 shallots, minced

*Shallots are like a combination of a red onion and a garlic, at least that is what it looks like. I love them! They are great for making sauces. Very mild onion flavor, more tender and a little "sweeter" than an onion.

1 cup of apple cider

6 TB of chicken broth

1 TB of apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp of salt

Saute the shallots in the oil until tender. Add apple cider and reduce it until there are about 4 TB left of the liquid and the shallots are glazed with it. Add the chicken broth, vinegar, and salt. Mix until heated.

* I had a problem with this recipe. It wasn't as thick as I think gravy is, it was more liquidy. And it tasted a little too sour from the vinegar. But if you like it like that, then go for it!

So I added a few more tablespoons of EACH broth and apple cider (not vinegar), and a bit of cornstarch to the consistency I liked. Homemade gravy is great because it's pretty forgivable and fixable.

Little Tip: Mix the cornstarch in a cold liquid first(the broth and apple cider), then put it in the hot liquid(the gravy). If you put cornstarch straight in the hot gravy, it will make clumps. Mixing it in cold liquid first avoids the clumps.

I served this pork tenderloin with a mushroom rice (made with 1/2 white and 1/2 brown rice) and a green salad.

A healthy YET satisfying breakfast sandwich!

In response to all of us out there trying to eat healthier, I will share a breakfast sandwich recipe I made for my family. Typically, a lot of our efforts to make healthy food leave us feeling a little less than satisfied and sometimes grumpy. At least that is what happens to me! I need flavor, not fat, but good flavor to satisfy my palate and tummy. I could never be successful on a bland, bunny rabbit diet! Just not me! This sandwich is full of lean protein, whole grain fiber, and flavor to help you stay full and satisfied! I got this idea from Ellie Krieger, the dietician chef!

4 100% whole wheat English muffins

4 thick slices of a beefsteak tomato

4 thin slices of low fat mozzarella cheese (if you are really trying to cut down on fat, you may omit this)

4 slices of Canadian bacon (which is actually a very lean alternative to the traditional breakfast meats like sausage and bacon, only 50Cal and 2 g of fat per slice)

chopped fresh herbs, I used chives and parsley

4 egg whites

4 full eggs (or you can just use all egg whites)

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the chopped herbs and a dash of salt and fresh cracked pepper. Make the eggs as you would an omelette. You can either make 4 separate ones or one big one, and divide it into 4 equal parts.

Heat the Canadian bacon in skillet until browned a bit. Split and toast the English muffins. Then layer all the ingredients on the toasted muffin - egg, omelette, tomato, Canadian bacon, cheese.

Makes four servings! Pretty easy and tasty! And it's very filling!

Mama Mexico!

Custom-made fresh guacamole right at your table served in a lava rock bowl!

Josh's skirt steak with a prawn and fried bananas

Here is my dish- jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab served on a mango salad

Shrimp fajita stir fry

The classic chicken burrito

For Josh's birthday, his parents treated all of us to dinner at a Mexican restaurant that Josh and I love - Mama Mexico. Located right near our neighborhood, it is quite the surprising find. It's such a bright and festively decorated restaurant with the Mariachi band getting you in the mood for Mexican food! The huge menu is complete with the typical Mexican fare turned up a notch. A few more extra fresh seafood dishes on the menu than your regular Mexican restaurant and creative combinations of tropical flavors made it really difficult for me to choose my dish! We had a fantastic time! The combination of good food and atmosphere will definitely get us to come back to this little jewel of a restaurant. And the local peeps told us there wasn't very good Mexican food in NYC!

A Muffin Top Pan!

If you are a muffin top lover, there is a pan to make only muffin tops. Great for carb control, 2 muffin tops are better than 2 muffins!
Muffin Top Pan

A new use for Aluminum Foil! Whoohoo!

So here is an idea for Aluminum Foil! I sometimes get that baked/cooked on gunk that sticks to my pans and shreds my sponge when I try to clean it! Normally, I have some kind of steel wool sponge to work through it, but my resources in our New York apartment are limited! So if you haven't lined the pan with aluminum foil before baking which helps you avoid most cleaning altogether (but I never do that), use foil for scrubbing the stuff off! I just crinkle it up, fill the pan with a little soap and water, and scrub away. It's like a mini aluminum scrubber. I just use the same foil I used to cover the pan while baking. Hey, we are students living in NYC! Just getting the most bang for my aluminum foil!

Easy Roast Chicken for a Sunday Dinner!

I love roast chicken. There is something so homey and comforting about yummy roast chicken. And it always looks impressive. The only thing is that I have never until now tried to make roast chicken. There was always something intimidating about a entire naked chicken! But I have found a solution for the intimidating roast chicken. I used skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs, legs, and even breasts (for the white meat lover, but dark meat in this case is MUCH more juicy and flavorful). The best part about it is it's cheaper than boneless and skinless chicken pieces, and cooks much faster than an entire chicken!

I HAVE NO PICTURE OF MY CREATION THIS TIME, I'M SORRY!

I used about 6 legs, 4 thighs, and 2 breasts for this amount of rub. You definitely want bone-in and skin-on pieces, it will be moist and flavorful!

Spiced Dry Rub

4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. ground thyme

1 tsp. white pepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix together in a bowl.

*To save time, you can even double the recipe to store for the next time you make it.

Rub the mix all over each chicken piece, under the skin, too.

I layered baby carrots and onions in a baking dish. Place the chicken pieces on top. You can also place the chicken right on the dish without carrots and onions. I also sliced some lemons and layered them over the chicken to make it look pretty, and garnished with fresh thyme stems.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The skin should look crisp and browned.

I served the chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and lion house rolls (you can find the rolls recipe on the internet).