No. 1 : Quick Recipe

Mexican Style Chicken Veggie SOUP

4 Large Roma Tomatoes, halved
1 Red Onion, peeled and quartered
4 Green Onions
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 TB Olive Oil
½ Tsp EACH Cumin, Turmeric, Cayenne, and Chipotle Pepper
8 Cups *Chicken Stock
1 ½ LB Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs, in thin strips
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
2 TB Fresh Lime Juice
8 OZ Sharp Cheddar, grated
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
1 Avocado chopped, Non Fat Greek Yogurt and Chopped Cilantro for Garnish

Step One

On a well oiled grill pan or grill, grill the tomatoes, onion, green onions and garlic over high heat. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.

Step Two

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the grilled veggies, spices and chiles and sauté until very soft about 10 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes and then puree using an immersion blender.

Step Three

Add the chicken stock to the grilled veggie mixture and stir to combine. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Step Four

Add the chicken; simmer until cooked through, about  5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.  Just before serving, divide the cheese into 6 bowls. Ladle in the soup, garnish with avocado, yogurt and cilantro.

No. 2 : Kitchen Scoop

*Make chicken stock by sautéing about 3 LBs chicken bones with 2 TB tomato paste for 5 minutes over medium high heat in a stockpot.Add 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 TB peppercorns, 1 handful parsley, 1 Tsp sea salt and water to cover the solids. Bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and skim off foam as it appears on the top of stock. Cook uncovered for about 2- 3 hours. Strain and discard solids.

No. 3 : Clever Idea

Freeze leftover chicken bones until you have enough – a full one gallon ziplock bag is the perfect amount of bones for this stock recipe.

No. 4 : Wine FIND of the Week

King Estate Pinot Gris
Willamette Valley, Oregon
About $16.00

Crisp and Citrusy tasting, this refreshing white wine has just enough lovely fruit forward flavor to compliment the slightly spicy soup. Did you know that Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are both the same grape? The difference is the place where the grape is grown, and the way the wine is made!

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