Chicken Enchilada Soup (Tex-Mex Recipe)

The moment I saw this recipe on Six Sisters’ Stuff  facebook page, I knew right away that this is a delicious  dish, and  my family will surely love it.  And I was right! 

So I cooked it right way once I got hold of all the ingredients, including the corn tortilla chips.  The whole house  smelled so good while this is simmering.  My daughter asked me 3 times if the soup is ready, she’s so excited to taste my new recipe.

I made some revisions to the recipe according to our preference. Posted here 2 versions of the recipe, my version and the original recipe.

My husband, since he likes spicy food, added the 3 spices (Cumin, Cayenne & Chilli Pepper) before  eating the soup, and he said its tastier and added more flavor to it.

This dish is so delicious and easy to make. We will surely have this again. Definitely a keeper!!

My version, the Ingredients:

3 cups of homemade chicken stock

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chuncks

2-3 tbsps Taco Seasoning Mix

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 big  pc  green bellpepper, roughly chopped

2 medium sized, onions, roughly chopped

6 pcs. Cloves of garlic, chopped

1 big can, black beans

2 cups  frozen corn

2-3 tbsps Tomato Paste

½ cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Cilantro, chopped (optional for topping)

Tortilla Corn Chips

This is the original recipe of Six Sisters’ Stuff , Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock (or you could use broth)
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (add more if you like it hotter- I had to keep mine kid-friendly!)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced (I only used about 1/2 of a pepper- once again, kid-friendly!)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (you could really use any kind of cheese that you have)
1 cup pepperjack cheese
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I just used a 2 tablespoons of dried cilantro because I didn't have any fresh and it still tasted delicious!)
Tortilla chips

Directions (about 1 hour total): 

In a large stockpot, add chicken stock and heat over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper (in my version, I did’nt use these three spices, instead I used the McCormick Taco Seasoning). Simmer about 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside. Add tomatoes, jalapenos (I omitted this), bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pot. Simmer about 30 minutes, covered until tomatoes have begun to break down. Add black beans, corn, and tomato paste and stir to incorporate.   Add cheddar cheese and half of the pepperjack cheese and stir to melt. Return chicken to soup and cook for a couple more minutes until you reach your desired consistency.

If you want thicker soup, add strips of flour tortilla, they will dissolve into the soup to thicken the broth . Add cilantro, reserving some to top individual bowls if desired. Ladle into serving bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, leftover pepperjack cheese and more cilantro if desired.

Notes for the Spices:

I did not use the 3 spices indicated in the original recipe, I tasted each one and find them too spicy for me and my daughter…

Instead …

I used the McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix (I’ve used it several times before and we love the flavor), tho’ this is a bit spicy too, just add it sparingly…  it’s a good thing, I have this on hand J

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SOPAS (Filipino Chicken Noodle Soup ) Video Version

CRISPY DULONG PATTIES (Silver Fish Patties)

Ingredients:

½ kilo Fresh Dulong, washed and drain excess water

2-3 pcs. Onions, chopped

¼ cup  Kinstay, chopped

½  cup  All Purpose Flour (or more, if needed)

1-2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp salt or more if needed

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

¾ cup Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:

In a big bowl transfer drained dulong,  add onion and kinstay  then the flour,  black pepper and salt, then the beaten egg/s.  Mix thoroughly with a big spoon. Set aside.

Meanwhile, add some cooking oil into a hot pan,  drop by the spoonful the dulong mixture  into the  pan, flatten the patties using the back of the spoon, let it fry for a few minutes, when brown, flip it over.  Adjust crispiness according to your preference.  When done, remove from the frying pan, and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.  Then continue frying the rest of the mixture, you may need to add more cooking oil into the pan as needed.  You can serve this with Tomato or Banana Catsup, or Sweet & Chilli Sauce.  Enjoy!

(Picture from the web)

Dulong is a very tiny fish, barely an inch and quite transparent in appearance with beady eyes.  It is cooked in many ways like  sautéed, “pinaksiw” or “pinangat” (both cooked in vinegar) , also used in omelet, and as gourmet food in bottles – Dulong in Olive Oil.    

Dulong is also a healthier alternative to meat patties, you can replace your burger patties with Crispy Dulong Patties.

DELICIOUS CUCUMBER SALAD

A refreshing,  light and easy to prepare vegetable salad, that goes well with Mechado, Adobo or any meat dish with sauce.   Cucumber is often regarded as a healthy food because it is low in calories and fat.

Ingredients:

2 pcs medium size Cucumber, peeled, cut diagonally (bite size pieces)

3-4 pcs  Tomatoes, seeded, sliced into bite size

1 pc medium White Onion, peeled, slices into strips

2-3 tbsps Mayonnaise (or Light Mayo)

1 tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish

Salt, pepper & sugar

Procedure :

Put all the three vegetables in a bowl, and in a separate smaller bowl mix the mayonnaise, pickles, salt,  pepper& a bit of sugar, season to taste and refrigerate them both, just before serving you can add the salad dressing into the cucumber mixture. 

Note :  Dressing is added just before serving the salad so that the cucumber will retain its crispiness.  

Health benefits of Cucumber (from Nutrition and You website)

This wonderful, low calorie vegetable indeed has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes.

• It is one of the very low calories vegetable; provides just 15 calories per 100 g. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation, and offers some protection against colon cancers by eliminating toxic compounds from the gut.
• It is a very good source of potassium, an important intracellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte; helps reduce blood pressure and heart rates by countering effects of sodium.
• It contains unique anti-oxidants in good ratios such as ß-caroteneand α-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A,zea-xanthinand lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
• Cucumbers have mild diuretic property probably due to their high water and potassium content, which helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure.
• They are surprisingly have high amount of vitamin K, provides about 17 µg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain

TINOLANG MANOK (or Chicken Tinola)

AUTHENTIC WAY TO COOK TINOLANG MANOK

Considered one of the comfort foods of our family.  We can have this dish anytime, aside from being easy to prepare, the soup just warms you up and brings back childhood memories. 

Ingredients:

½ kilo Chicken. Cut into serving pieces

2 tbsp. Cooking Oil

1 tbsp. Crushed Garlic

2 Medium onions, diced

Few Slices of Ginger

3 tbsp. Fish Sauce

2-3 cups Hugas Bigas  (2^nd washing of rice or  water obtained from washing rice grains and used as broth base for sinigang or tinola)

2 pcs. Finger Chili (siling haba)

2 cups , Sayote, cut into smaller wedges

1 Bunch of Chili leaves, pick the leaves only

Salt and pepper

Procedure:

Heat cooking oil in a pan, sauté garlic, then onion, when transparent, add the ginger, then the chicken, when the chicken starts to brown around the edges, add the patis, mix well and cover the pan and let it simmer on low fire for 10-15 minutes (if it seems too dry, add about 2 tbsp of water), then add the hugas bigas, let it simmer for 10 minutes, then add the sayote wedges. Simmer gently, covered, until fork tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and add the chili leaves, cover the pan again and leave for 5 to 10 minutes till the leaves are wilted. Serve with hot rice and have a great meal!

Note :  You can substitute the Chicken with any Pork parts you prefer, like spareribs or liempo. 

             Instead of using  Chili leaves, you can use malunggay leaves.

             Use green papaya instead of the sayote

Update :  Considered  as one of the 10 Healthy-Yummy Pinoy Dishes -  read article here ---  10 healthy yet yummy Pinoy dishes

AMPALAYA SALAD (Bitter Gourd)

1 large Ampalaya

3-4 pcs Red Tomatoes, sliced diagonally

1 whole Onion,sliced diagonally

½ cup White Vinegar or any type of vinegar you prefer

2 tbsps Salt

Slice ampalaya in half lengthwise, with a teaspoon scrape-off all the white membrane in the middle.  Wash and pat dry the ampalaya, then cut in into thin slices.  Put the sliced Ampalaya in a bowl, sprinkle with about 2 tbsps salt, stir very well and set aside for awhile.  After 15 minutes wash the ampalaya with ¼ cup vinegar, stirring gently, then pour out the vinegar.  When drained,  add the tomatoes, onion and remaining ¼ cup vinegar (a little bit at a time), add salt if needed.  Refrigerate for a while and serve.

Delicious paired with fried chicken adobo!

Enjoy!