Chicken Tortilla Soup...... a new FAVORITE!

I was definitely on the fence about Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I didn't hate it - I just wasn't sure that I liked it enough to make it.

Well....... I have followed Carlsbad Cravings for several years, and all of her recipes are always fabulous.  And Carlsbad (the city) is literally next door to where I live - just 5 minutes away.  So......
I am a fan for many reasons.  I knew she would not steer any of us wrong on this recipe , and I was SO VERY RIGHT!

You need to make this  -- and you need to make it soon.  You will not be sorry!!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP  

adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

2 T. olive oil
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped (I LOVE these peppers - so good and not too hot)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tsp. each:  chili powder, ground cumin, chicken bouillon or broth powder
1/2 t. each:  smoked paprika, oregano, salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 small (4 oz.) can mild green chilies
2 - 15 oz. cans fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag Trader Joe's frozen fire roasted corn (i can of sweet corn can be used, but this is SO much better)
1 - 10 oz. can mild enchilada sauce
6 c. low sodium chicken broth

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and saute for about 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper and poblano pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add garlic and saute briefly.

Add all remaining soup ingredients (except the lime juice and cilantro).  Cover soup and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium low or low heat.  Simmer 20-25 minutes or just until the chicken is tender (check for temp of 165 to be sure).  Remove the chicken from the pot and let rest about 5 minutes.  Carefully shred the chicken (be careful - it will be hot!)

Add chicken back to pot along iwth the lime juice and cilantro.  Taste and season with additional salt and live to taste.  Stir in additional chicken broth if you want a less chunky soup. (I like it chunky!)

Top individual servings with baked tortilla strips (below) and garnish with cubed avocado, shredded Cheddar cheese, additional chopped cilantro (and anything else you like).

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To add later:
1 T. lime juice (and extra lime slices for serving)
1/3 c. chopped cilantro

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Homemade Tortilla Strips:
8 - 6 inch corn tortillas
1 T. vegetable or canola oil
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 for the tortilla strips.

Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips.  Using a pizza cutter can make it easy to create the strips.  A few can be stacked at a time and cut to make it easier.

Line a half sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper and .  Toss the strips with 1 T. oil and spread over the pan, making sure to arrange the strips in a single layer.  Grind pink Himalayan salt over the top.  Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven until light golden brown. Set aside to cool and crisp.

This soup is delicious - REALLY scrumptions!  I served this to my neighbors who love tortilla soup and they said it was the best they had EVER tasted - and they have tasted many!  Needless to say, that made me one happy girl.

The added bonus was that this soup was super easy to make.  I will definitely be making this more often!

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Mexican Delight Burrito Bowl - Part 2

So your mouth is now watering after reading about that delicious cauliflower rice - right? And you may be wondering how this could possibly get better - but it does with the addition of the pork carnitas. This was the first time I have attempted carnitas, but it will definitely not be the last.  This was SO good. (and SO easy!)

I had not planned to post this recipe so didn't take the normal array of photos - just one quick one at the end.  There are great photos at Carlsbad Cravings (link below) - in fact she has tons of mouth watering recipes along with fabulous photos.  Enjoy!

Pork Carnitas (slow cooker recipe)

adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

*these ingredients were for a 4-5 lb pork shoulder roast, but I only had a 3 1/2 and it was fine.  Just  makes this recipe more versatile!

4-5 lb. pork shoulder roast
1 T. olive oil
1/4 c. orange juice
1 t. liquid smoke
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
juice of one lime

Wet Spice Rub
3 T. olive oil
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 c. coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 T. cumin
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. salt
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. pepper
*1/2 t. Cuban Island spice (from Savory Spice Shop)

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and sear the roast on all sides until it is lightly browned.  I used my Instant Pot (*love*) so was able to do everything in one pot.

After the roast is seared, place it on a cutting board or large platter and let it cool a bit.

In the meantime, whisk together all of the Wet spice ingredients in a small bowl.  When the pork has cooled to the touch, coat the roast with the spice rub on all surfaces and place it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.  Add the orange and lime juice, liquid smoke and the 2 bay leaves.  Top the pork with the onion and jalapeno.  Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or until the pork is fall apart tender and shreds easily with a fork.

Carefully remove the pork to a cutting board, shred it and return it back to the juices in the pot.  Cook on low for 20 minutes.  While it is cooking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Line 1-2 baking sheets with foil (depending on the size of the roast.  A smaller roast will only need 1 baking sheet.

After 20 minutes, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place the shredded pork on the baking sheet(s) in an even layer.  Drizzle with some of the remaining juices and bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil until the meat begins to crisp.  Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.  Drizzle with additional juices as desired and toss.

Serve over rice, the loaded cilantro cauliflower rice (YUM!), in a tortilla, on a salad - however you like.  Top with diced tomatoes, diced avocado, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, - whatever you desire.

I sprinkled cotija cheese on top for an extra layer of flavor.

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