Pinned it, Made it, Loved it: Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Back when I lived in Oklahoma I frequented a Tex-Mex restaurant called Peppers. There was only one thing I would order every time and it was their Chicken Tortilla Soup. I have yet to ever find another restaurant with a Chicken Tortilla Soup like it or even a recipe that came close until now. Every other restaurant that I've ever ordered it at is more authentic and has a more clear broth. 

I was browsing Pinterest and happened upon this recipe. I just thought it looked good and thought I would try it. Low and behold I was in love and so is the family. One of the secrets to this recipe is the Juanita's tortilla chips that I used. They are made right here in Oregon and no other chip would have worked the same.

I again adapted the recipe to suit what I had on hand. (i.e., canned chicken instead of fresh and more chiles then the original recipe called for)

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe (Chicken tortilla soup, adjusted)

• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 small cans of chiles
• 1/4 cup dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crushed Jaunita's tortilla chips
• 1 large canned chicken breast
• 8 ounces light sour cream
• Garnish: additional tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack cheese, green onions

In a large covered pot, add chicken broth, tomatoes (with all the juice), green chiles, onion, cumin, pepper and Juanita's tortilla chips. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes until heated through. Remove pot from heat and stir in sour cream until thoroughly incorporated.
To serve, top with crushed chips, cheese and green onions.

If you cannot find Juanita's tortilla chips in your local grocery store, look for a chip that is more authentic and is a "oilier, greasier" chip.

Pinned it, Made it, Loved it: Healthy Pumpkin Banana Nut Muffins

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Nut Muffins

I adapted the ingredients from the pinned recipe to use what I had on hand. What I used is listed below.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 overly ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
15 oz can Tbsp pumpkin puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup walnut pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F and grease muffin tins.

Mix flour, oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl. 

Whisk until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine sugars, bananas, applesauce, pumpkin, and eggs. Mix the wet and dry ingredients, just until combined. 

Fold in walnuts.

Fill muffin cups 3/4ths full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Yield: 15 large muffins.

Super easy and healthy. Enjoy!

((linking up with Craft-O-Maniac & C.R.A.F.T.))

Pinned it, Made it, Loved it: Honey Garlic Pork Chops

I want to start a new series about all of the recipes and possibly crafts that I've found on Pinterest, made and loved. I actually have quite a few and thought this would be something great to share with others. I actually have a board dedicated to this called Made it, Ate it, Loved it and I'm part of a group called Pinned it, Did it, Loved it.

The first recipe I want to start with is the Honey Garlic Pork Chops. I've actually made these a few times now and they have been delicious every time. The original pin that I have is no longer valid but I was able to find another blog that made the recipe from the original pin like I did. So I pinned hers here instead.

I'm not usually the biggest fan of pork chops but every once and while I find these in the marked down section of the meat department. That's actually how I buy alot of our meat lately. I go to the grocery store in the middle of the week and lately they have had a ton of discounted meat, most of it half off. I know that it's close to date so I just make sure to put it right into the freezer when I get home. That's the secret you cannot just put in the fridge unless you are using that day or the next depending on the date. But this has been a wonderful way for my family to save money and we've gotten alot of meat that we wouldn't normally be able to afford, like organic free-range chicken.

I actually do this with bread products too, right next the the marked down meat is a large rack of expensive bakery items that are marked way down. We are blessed enough to have an extra freezer in a shop outside of our house so I keep it full. I just leave the bread in its original packaging and put it into a freezer bag. I do however make sure to use these up more quickly than I would the meat to prevent freezer burn. But this has been another awesome way for our family to save money and have fancier rolls or bread than we would normally.

When we are having a week or month where our income is tighter and I cannot afford a big shopping trip I can just go out to the freezer and shop for that weeks dinner meat. Then when we have a month where things are less tight I stock up again. Or even when things are tight I can afford to get a couple of marked down items.

So now this has turned into a longer post then I meant but I wanted to share some of my secrets.

But here is the pinned and loved recipe.

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 + 1/8 cup honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 pork loin chops, boneless, trimmed of excess fat, 4 oz each

Directions:

1) In a shallow dish, whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic.
2) Coat chops in mixture. 
3) Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, until meat is done. Less time for thinner pork chops.

I actually only made two pork chops but and then had an ingenious idea to bake the frozen green beans with the pork chops and pour the extra sauce onto them before they baked. Best idea ever, they tasted awesome and cooked right with the meat.  I then paired this combo with a baked sweet potato and my family ended up having a wholesome simple and scrumptious meal that night.

Enjoy!

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