Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot

Angie's comment about everything she makes in the crock pot all tasting the same made me want to share with you my tortilla soup recipe. It is definitely one of our favorite meals. I got this originally from Shauna about two years ago and since then, I probably make it every other week in the colder months, and not quite as often in the warmer times. It is SOOO easy, and SOOO tasty, that I always have the fixins for it in my pantry.

The basic recipe...
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained (or any beans you like)
1 can corn, drained (or frozen corn)
1-3 small cans of diced green chiles, depending on your taste (I usually use 2 is I have them)
2 or 3 chicken breasts (you can put them right in there FROZEN!)
1 small onion, diced and sauteed
salt, pepper and cumin (add as much as pleases you)

Other items you can add during cooking...
sliced carrots
sliced celery

Optional Toppings
chips
cheese
avocado
cilantro
sour cream
olives

Instructions...throw everything in the pot and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours!
Put chicken breasts WHOLE in crock pot, thawed or frozen, and cover with diced tomatoes (with their juices), chicken broth, chiles, and drained corn and beans. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.

If you've already sauteed the onions, you can add them now, but I usually forget and add them closer to the end. You would also add any other veggies you are putting in now.

Seriously, that's it. When you can easily shred the chicken with a fork, it's done. Top with all your favorite things.

I find a add a bunch of salt to this at the end, so don't be shy with that seasoning.

I've tried cooking it on high when I'm short on time. That works, too, but occassionally the chicken is not quite as moist. Same thing...it's done when the chicken is easily shreddable.

Best part...one of my children actually eats it!

Disappointing Crock Pot Recipe

I've been trying to find good crock pot recipes that do not include cream of mushroom soup (or chicken, or celery) in their list of ingredients. I found a crock pot recipe for Soy Ginger Chicken one of my old editions of Everyday Food. I was so excited to try it! It looked very promising-lots of fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh cilantro, and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Rich dark meat simmering for hours in the tasty marinade...

Yea, not so much. It was bland. And not interesting. And boring. And any other adjective you can come up for "not worth making this again."

But the combination of ingredients has such potential. I will eventually try again (because I'm a sucker like that). Next time I think I'll cook it for less time and add some chili garlic and more sugar. And no carrots.

I'll let you know what I come up with.

Green Garlic

I got green garlic today in my farm box. I had no idea what green garlic was. Is it immature garlic and that's why it's still green? Is it a different breed from the garlic we ordinarily consume? Is really garlic? (At first glance, I thought it was a leek.)

Thanks to this website, I learned something new today. The Penne with Ricotta and Green Garlic Sauce sounds nice. I'll let you know if I make it.

Fava Bean Pesto

I got more fava beans this week, and since I hadn't used mine from last week yet, and Kendra didn't want her share (as she was in the same predicament) I had A LOT of beans. I found this fantastic fava bean pesto recipe on the Food Network's website. It's from the show "Melting Pot."


I probably had about 1 1/2 pounds of fava beans...possibly 2 pounds. I didn't weigh them, but I can tell you it took a good 30 minutes to shell them all. I followed the prep suggestions on the Full Belly Farm website. They say to quickly boil the beans, pods and all, for 2 to 3 minutes, then submerge in cold water and cool completely. Once cooled, you can peel away the pods and pop the little green beans from their inner shell. It's not hard...just time consuming.

Oh, and all those beans? They only netted 1 cup of beans. One measly little cup. Not much reward for such a task. But the pesto? It was a-tasty. Here's the recipe (I mostly followed it to the tee) with my suggestions in italics.


Fava Bean Pesto
1 cup fava beans, cleaned
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (a bit too much-maybe only 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon mint
6 leaves basil
1 teaspoon salt (possibly less)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I used two cloves, and that was plenty)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan (I think this was too much-the pesto was a bit saltier than I liked)
8 slices round Greek bread (I used pugliese instead)
4 ounces manouri, shaved (didn't use)

In a blender, puree all ingredients, except the Parmesan, bread, and manouri, until all ingredients are smooth. The pesto should be thick. Season with salt and black pepper. (It DID NOT need anymore salt and pepper.) Fold in the Parmesan cheese. Brush the bread with olive oil and grill or toast. Spread the pesto on the toast and top with manouri.

At first, we ate it alone on toasted bread, but that proved to be too salty. Next, we topped it with fresh tomato sliced on the bread...that was MUCH better. The tomato cut much of the salt, and added a nice fresh burst to it. Lastly, for a real meal, I spread a thin layer of the pesto on toasted bread, topped it with tomato, then topped that with left over rotisserie chicken covered with melted fresh mozzarella. THAT was great.

The only drawback of this stuff is it makes almost 2 cups of pesto. I'm not sure if I can freeze it or not. I may try it with some pasta later in the week. That should use more of it up than spreading it on toast.

My last suggestion would be don't leave out the mint. You'll be tempted to, like myself, but trust me, it's worth forking over the $2 for a little bunch. The mint was such a lovely little surprise in each bite. The pesto will still be good without it, but I think the mint really sets it apart.