SANDRA’S SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

A tried and true fiesta comfort soup...


[Featured on 3-19-12 at:
http://cook.sevnav.com/we-cook-soup/
sandras-fresh-tomato-basil-soup]

Serves: (4)
Prep/Cook: 25 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 ribs celery, chopped
½ red bell pepper
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce (or your preferred hot sauce)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 cups water
2 fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed, (or 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups skinless, cooked chicken, roughly shredded
1 (14.5 oz. can) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (creamy white beans)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, seeded, and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Garnish:
--4 lemon wedges
--tortilla chips

METHOD

In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic, and cook, covered, 8 to 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender while frequently stirring. Add cumin, chili powder, and sriracha sauce, and cook 30 seconds, while stirring. Add broth, water, corn kernels, and lemon juice to vegetable mixture; cover saucepot and heat to boiling over high heat.

Add chicken pieces, chopped cilantro, and cannellini beans into broth mixture in saucepan; heat to boiling, covered, over high heat for 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in chopped tomatoes. Taste for seasonings, adding sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, if desired.

Place a handful of crushed tortillas in bottom of each bowl, and ladle soup over top, and then sprinkle each bowl with avocado pieces. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over soup just prior to eating. Place additional whole tortilla chips along side for scooping. ~ Enjoy!


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Tip:  This soup is fabulous using lime instead of lemon as well (I just happened to have fresh lemons on-hand today.

SANDRA’S CHRISTMASTIME FUDGE

Melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness!

I found my recipe of this fudge featured 

@ www.charity.cs.uwlax.edu 
shortly after I posted it...

Yields: 64 small squares
(or 34 medium squares)
Prep/Cook: 20 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup +2 tablespoons evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk ;-)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch fine-grain kosher salt
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup Andes Creme de Mint chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup miniature marshmallows
½ cup coconut flakes
3 drops red liquid vegetable food coloring
3 drops green liquid vegetable food coloring

METHOD

Prepare a 9"x9” square pan by lining it with foil, leaving a flap for easy removal of fudge later on, and then spray the pan with butter spray, and set aside.

Place the chopped coconut flakes in two separate jars, and sprinkle one jar with 3 drops of red food coloring, and the other with 3 drops of green, and then vigorously shake each to equally coat the coconut with color. Set aside.

To make the fudge, add condensed milk, sugar, and butter, and kosher salt in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low heat, stirring just until hot and sugar has dissolved (please do not boil), add the three different chips, and gently stir until smooth and melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in nuts, and vanilla. Quickly but gently, fold in the marshmallows (to prevent over melting), and spread fudge mixture evenly into prepared pan using a spatula. Sprinkle alternating stripes with two different colors of coconut, and gently press to adhere.

Cool to room temperature, uncovered, on counter for 30 minutes. Move to refrigerator, uncovered, and continue to chill for 2 hours, until fudge is firm. Remove the fudge from the pan. Peel off the foil underneath, and place fudge upright onto cutting board.  Cut into equal squares (See *Tip, below). Once pre-chilled and cut into squares store the fudge, covered, in the refrigerator. – Enjoy!

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*Tip: To cut fudge, first cut down the middle, turn, and cut down the other middle to form four large pieces, and then cut each of the four pieces, four times each way to end up with 64 even pieces ~ Merry Christmas!  
--I wrap each of my fudge squares individually, as I tend to mail them.
--You can also make this fudge ahead of time and freeze it; it thaws beautifully ;)

SANDRA'S WILD RICE with ARTICHOKE and VENISON BACKSTRAP SALAD

My husband barbequed a venison backstrap 
last night to take on a hunting trip today, 
and left me with enough to create this salad recipe. 
It turned out divine - 
and absolutely any type of steak, ham, or poultry 
would be a nice alternative if you do not have venison...


I found my above photograph and recipe featured on 
"Rice-Recipe.com" on 10-19-11
@ http://rice-recipe.com/wild-rice-with-artichoke
-and-venison-back-strap-salad-is-simply-to-die-for/

Servings (8)
Prep/Cook, about 20 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

***Salad:
1 (6 oz. pkg.) quick-cooking wild rice (Uncle Ben’s is preferred; it comes with a seasoning packet)
1-3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 (16-oz. can) artichoke hearts, drained, and quartered
¼ cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
1 cup (cooked to medium-rare) venison back strap, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, for garnish

***Dressing:
3/4 cups light olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, grated

METHOD

In a 1-quart pot with a lid, bring 1-3/4 cups water, rice, seasoning packet, and butter to a boil, while stirring well. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside, covered, for 10 minutes until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, just until lightly brown and fragrant, and set aside.

In a large non-reactive bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients, and whisk to emulsify. Once rice is done, add to the same bowl of the rice, artichoke hearts, peas, green pepper, green onions, celery, and venison backstrap slices, then toss well. Eat at room temperature by sprinkling the salad with the toasted pine nuts, and serve. – Enjoy!