Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

While some people don’t think of the warmer months as soup season, I can’t help turning the stuff away just because the thermometer rises. I just cook different kinds of soups than I do in the winter months! Lighter fare, full of good things – like veggies, and beans. Enter, Chicken Tortilla Soup. I still have a stockpile of whole chickens from my dad that I’ve been trying to use (there will no doubt be another 10 chickens soon to follow!) and making homemade chicken stock and soup is always my favorite thing to do with the small fryers.

Now, there are differing approaches to tortilla soup. Some recipes called for adding the uncooked tortillas right in the soup – which is okay. But, I kind of wanted them slightly crunchy. And, toasting anything totally brings out the flavor more – always a good thing.

So I did the soup on it’s own, then fried up some tortilla strips and served the soup on a few strips of those. They softened up, and released their tortilla-ey goodness into the soup, but still retained a slight crunch. I kept the ingredient list fairly simple. Chicken, black beans, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and corn – all in a delicious seasoned chicken broth. We all really enjoyed it. It was a meal that filled us up, without weighing us down. And, leftovers were great all week long!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 cups shredded chicken
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup corn kernels, thawed
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
ground black pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped
sliced jalapeno, for garnish
sliced avocado, for garnish
8, 6-inch tortillas, cut into strips and fried (or store-bought tortilla chips)

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano – cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste, and cook stirring frequently, until tomato paste is starting to darken. Slowly add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.

Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, add a small handful of tortilla strips to the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup onto tortilla strips. Garnish soup with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and a few more tortilla strips.

16-Cup Magimix Giveaway

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Magimix 5200XL

A couple of weeks ago, I received a Magimix food processor in the mail to review. I’ve been using it regularly over the course of the past two weeks, and I’m happy to report that I’ve kicked my old, chipped food processor to the curb. Okay, well maybe just to the garage – to take on camping trips or something!

Just the name “Magimix” conjures up warm fuzzy memories from me, as that is always what the great Julia Child referred to the food processor in her kitchen as. That’s because they’re the O.G. – made in France by hand, where they manufacture their own motors as well. A company dedicated to quality so much that they don’t trust anyone else to the job! They’re awesome. So awesome in fact, that they’re sponsoring the giveaway of a Magimix 5200XL 16-Cup Food Processor here at Tide & Thyme. Here are the deets on this awesome piece of kitchen equipment:

  • 6-cup, 12-cup and 16-cup mixing bowls.
  • 2 metal Sabatier blades, one for small bowl, and one for medium and large bowls.
  • Dough blade.
  • 2 grating discs; 2 mm and 4 mm.
  • 2 slicing discs; 2 mm and 4 mm.
  • Blender mix attachment.
  • Citrus Press.
  • Egg whisk.
  • Spatula.
  • Recipe book and DVD.
  • Storage box.

The 3-bowl system is genius. How awesome is it to be able to shred enough cabbage and carrots for egg rolls in one bowl? But then have a work bowl small enough to make chipotle aioli for fish tacos using the same machine? The protective storage box is also very handy – especially for someone like me, who has lots of little hands poking around the kitchen. Everything fits neatly into the easy to access box that I’ve put nearby on my pantry. It’s a wonderful, wonderful piece of equipment – and I’m happy to be able give one away to a lucky reader!

*The winner is Comment #99: Meryl, who will be making plenty of salsa and olive tapenade in her new food processor. Congrats, Meryl!

And here are the deets on how to win! Contest will open today, Monday April 22 – and run through Monday April 29th @ 12 AM. Simply leave a comment answering this question: What is your favorite thing to make in a food processor? 

Want a few extra entries?

1. Like Tide & Thyme and Magimix on Facebook – Leave a comment below telling us you did so.

2. Follow Tide & Thyme on Pinterest – Leave a comment telling us you did so.

3. Follow Tide & Thyme on Twitter – Leave a comment telling us you did so.

Fine Print:  This giveaway is open to USA residents only and will run until Saturday, May 12th at 11:59 pm EST. Winner(s) will be generated via a random number generator. Winner will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form. Winner will have until 5/2/13 to claim their Magimix by Robot-Coupe 16 cup Food Processor {$650 value} or we will choose another winner. Item will be shipped to the winner by Magimix.

Disclaimer: I received the Magimix Food Processor to review at no cost. As always, all opinions are my own. This giveaway is sponsored by Magimix by Robot-Coupe.

Coconut Cupcakes

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Coconut Cupcakes

I hope ya’ll aren’t tired of cupcakes yet, cause I’ve been on a roll. Plus, I figured with the week our country has had – we could probably all use a cupcake – right? I’ve been a fan of Ina’s coconut cupcakes for quite some time – but I always feel ridiculous using 3 sticks of butter in the batter for the cupcakes. Not to mention it makes like 46 cupcakes, when she says it’s supposed to make 18. 

So I scaled it down a bit, and made a few changes. I took a page from my favorite coconut cake recipe and added a bit of cream of coconut to the cake batter. It adds moisture, sweetness, and big coconut flavor – which are all big pluses in my book, as far as cupcakes are concerned! I also added a bit of coconut extract for an even more pronounced coconut flavor. Topped with a coconut cream cheese frosting, and a dusting of toasted coconut – it’s Heaven in a cupcake liner.

Coconut Cupcakes

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup cream of coconut
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut (for garnish)

For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces butter (1 stick)
3 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a small dry skillet, toast the shredded coconut over medium-high heat until starting to brown on the edges. Off heat, and remove from pan to a plate to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and the cream of coconut – whisk to combine. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined.

Fill each liner 2/3 of the way. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and extracts. Carefully add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes as desired and sprinkle with the toasted coconut to garnish.

Source: adapted from The Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten

Mahi w/ Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

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Mahi-Mahi with Strawberry Avocado Salsa

When Shawnda posted this salsa recipe last week, my mouth started watering – and didn’t stop until I finally made it the week after. She used salmon, but I had mahi in the freezer so I used that. It’s one of my favorite varieties of fish – it’s white and flaky, but still substantial. But the real star of this dish is the strawberry-avocado salsa on top. The stuff is amazing! I’ve been a fan of other fruit salsas in the past, but there was definitely something different and memorable about it. The sweetness of the strawberries, with the creaminess of the avocados, and the smoky spiciness of the fish – it was just a match made in Heaven.

It would be wonderful in other applications too, of course. I know it would be fabulous on top of grilled pork chops, as a fresh twist on fish tacos, or even just with tortilla chips. With all the gorgeous strawberries flooding the market right now, you have no excuse not to give this one a try.

P.S. – Happy Birthday, Jon! You’re the best husband and dad a family could ask for – and we love you!

Mahi-Mahi with Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

4 filets mahi-mahi
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp kosher salt

For the Strawberry-Avocado Salsa:
1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and diced
1 large avocado, diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 orange
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch kosher salt

To prepare fish add butter and oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of filet with salt and Cajun seasoning generously. When butter has melted and the pan is hot (a few wisps of smoke are good) carefully lay the fish filets down into the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, being careful not to move the filets, for 4 minutes. Flip filets and cook for an about an additional 3 minutes. When the muscles in the fish start to pull away from each other, you know it’s done. Remove from pan to plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

To make the salsa, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt. Serve over warm fish filets.

Source: salsa adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride