Tag: gluten free Cinco de Mayo

Chicken Tortilla Soup

It’s time to spice up your life with a bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup!  Perfect for cold winter days, this soup is bursting with big chunks of chicken, beans and veggies. I love the heat from the garlic, jalapeno, chili flakes and cumin!

If you don’t already have Chipotle chili and cumin in your spice rack it’s time for a trip to the grocery store!

The inspiration for this recipe came from a local restaurant, but- like many others they use flour to thicken their soups.  Luckily for us, most of the ingredients in Chicken Tortilla Soup are naturally gluten free, so it was easy to recreate this soup at home, minus the flour. 

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Ingredients: 

  • 2 chicken leg quarters 
  • Salt and pepper, to taste 
  • Olive oil 
  • water to cover
  • 2 bay leaves 
  • 1 onion, diced 
  • 2 carrots, sliced 
  • heaping tbsp. minced garlic
  • heaping tbsp. minced jalapeno
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste 
  • 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes 
  • 1/2 tsp. Chipotle chili 
  • 1/2 tsp. Cumin 
  • 1/2 tsp. Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic granules
  • 1/2 tsp. onion granules 
  • salt, to taste 
  • 1 cup canned black beans 
  • 1 cup frozen or canned corn 
  • Gluten free tortilla strips 

Preparation: 

Add olive oil to a deep skillet over medium low heat and begin browning the chicken on both sides.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add bay leaves and water to cover.  Simmer for 90 minutes on low. 

Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove meat from the bones.  Refrigerate meat until the soup is ready.  Reserve the liquid.

In a clean stock pot, add 1 tbsp. olive oil with the onions and carrots, and cook for 2-3 minutes over low heat.  Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for 30 seconds.  Make a spot in the center of the pan and add the tomato paste.

Toast for 2 minutes, then strain the reserved chicken broth into the pot.  Add the fire roasted tomatoes, and all of the seasoning. 

Cover and simmer 1 hour, then add the black beans and corn.  Simmer 30 minutes longer.  Taste and add salt if needed. 

Stir in the reserved chicken, heat through and serve.

Garnish each bowl with tortilla strips.

Notes: ♪♫ The soup is thick and hearty on its own, no flour is needed.  For the perfect garnish, try a sprinkle of gluten free tortilla strips.  If you can’t find them locally order here!    

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Gluten Free Eggplant Tortilla Casserole

This easy casserole dish is great for a family dinner.  If you are invited to a party or cookout and need to bring a gluten free dish, this would be a great choice.  Using canned beans and tomatoes makes it easy to put together.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced (1-1/2 cups)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with mild green chiles
  • 1/2 tsp. Mexican Spice Blend or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere)
  • 4 gluten free corn tortillas, cut into eighths
  • cooking spray

Preparation:

Peel and dice the eggplant.  Add 3 tbsp. canola oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the eggplant cubes and toss to coat.  Cook the eggplant until it is browned on all sides.  The eggplant absorbs oil like a sponge, so add more if needed.

Season with salt and set aside to cool.

Next, add a little more oil to the skillet and cook the onions until lightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

Add the tomatoes with their juice and the drained beans.  Top with chopped cilantro and season to taste with Mexican Spice Blend, I used 1/2 tsp.

Toss well to combine and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.

To assemble the casserole, coat a 9″ x 9″ baking dish with cooking spray.  Line the baking dish with half of the tortillas.

Spoon half of the tomato mixture and eggplant cubes over the tortillas and top with 1/4 cup of cheese.

Repeat with another layer of tortillas.

Top with the remaining tomatoes and eggplant and 1/4 cup cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 375º.  After 30 minutes remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Your family and friends will love this dish!  It would be a nice accompaniment to a Cinco de Mayo dinner.  You could also serve it as an appetizer with tortilla chips.  This makes quite a few servings, and leftovers can be frozen.

Notes ♪♫ I used Mission brand Yellow Corn Tortillas in this recipe, they are certified gluten free.  The spice mix is my own, a blend of chipotle Chile flakes, oregano, onion granules and cumin.  if you are using a purchased blend, always check for gluten containing ingredients.

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Tomatillo Sauce – Salsa Verde

I remember the first time I ever had Tomatillo Sauce.  Now, you know I am an Italian girl, so please forgive my first thought – WHAT is a tomatillo?  Also known as Salsa Verde or Green Salsa, I started ordering it with my favorite Mexican chicken dinner and found I really liked it.

Then one day in the produce section I spotted the tomatillos.  Aha!  So that’s what they look like!  Not very impressive with their dry wrinkled husks, but I was curious enough to try making a small batch of Tomatillo Sauce at home.  This is a mild sauce, so if you want something spicier you will need to add jalapeno or hot pepper flakes.  For great flavor, be sure to use fresh cilantro and use both the leaves and stems.

Recipe makes about 1/2 cup and can be doubled or tripled if using as a dip.

Ingredients:

  • 4 tomatillos (about 4 oz.)
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. Mexican Spice Blend or more to taste
  • juice of 1/2 small lime (about 1 tbsp.)

Preparation:

Peel and wash the tomatillos, then cut in half.

Place the tomatillos with the next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a small sauce pan.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes on low heat.

The tomatillos will cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Cool slightly, then transfer to a blender or small electric chopper.  Add the lime juice and spice, then puree the ingredients until smooth.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

This sauce is delicious brushed on grilled chicken, veggies or any savory food.  You can also serve it with chips as a salsa.

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