Back to School!

Friday - kids in Burley, Bam Bam's for John, Alton, and me
Saturday - cornbread waffles and chili, toppings, fruit
Sunday - chicken tortilla soup, quesadillas fruit
Monday - The Dip, fruit
Tuesday - grilled flank steak, potato salad, corn on the cob, fruit
Wednesday - skillet mac and cheese, fruit, veggie
Thursday - sloppy lasagna
Friday - Maxwell's Birthday!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded
15 oz can whole tomatoes
10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 md onion, chopped
4 oz can green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
14 1/2 oz chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
10 oz package frozen corn
1 T cilantro
6 corn tortillas, or tortilla chips
2 T vegetable oil
grated Parmesan cheese

In slow cooker, combine shredded chicken, whole tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or on High 3 to 4 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with vegetable oil. Cut tortillas into small strips. Spread strips on baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally until crisp, 5 - 10 minutes. Sprinkle tortilla strips and Parmesan cheese over soup. Serve.

Makes 6 -8 servings.

Slow Cooker Black Beans

I tried this recipe today, with a few changes. I think I will make a few more changes next time, but the beans were good and making dinner this evening was pretty simple.

Here's what I did:

Sorted the beans and soaked over night in water.

Put them in the crock pot this morning, along with a can of diced tomatoes and water to cover everything. I put about half of an onion (diced) in the pot and a couple cloves of sliced garlic. Then I added some ground cumin, ground coriander, and chili powder. I simmered the beans on high for about 8 hours. At the last minute I added some salt and pepper. I also added a little water as needed throughout the day.

We had these with corn tortillas, queso fresco, lettuce, corn on the cob, and green grapes.

Next time, I think I will add a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies instead of the plain tomatoes. I'll also add the salt and pepper at the beginning instead of the end.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes (I used Rotel - mild)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can Ranch Style pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tsp dried cilantro
2 TBSP powdered broth (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Simmer for 3 or more hours.
3. Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream
fresh tomatoes, olives, and other desired toppings.

slightly adapted from this recipe on Recipezaar