Crafting A Blissful Bungalow
~ Cultivating Creativity for Daily Living ~
TM
A Note Before You Start
I made a few substitutions and additions to this recipe which I have put in parentheses.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp of butter (plus 1 Tbsp of olive oil)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper finely diced
3 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 15 oz can of corn drained
1 10 oz can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies undrained
1 15 oz can of black beans (I prefer small white beans)
5 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of shredded chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (I omitted this)
1 tsp of cumin
1-2 tsp of hot sauce of your choice (I use Cholula)
1 oz packet of taco seasoning
1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I use ¾ c of cheddar and ¾ cup of pepper jack cheese)
⅓ cup of softened cream cheese (I use ⅓ cup of heavy cream to eliminate the possibility of the soup separating if it gets too hot)
(I also add:)
1 cup of diced zucchini
1 cup of diced yellow pepper
½ cup of shredded carrots
1 ½ cups of cooked rice
For garnish:
Diced avocado, sour cream, sliced jalapenos and freshly chopped cilantro, (purchased) fried tortilla strips
Preparation
Step 1: In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat the butter and the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, peppers, (the zucchini, yellow pepper and carrots if using). Sprinkle 2-3 Tbsp of the taco seasoning over the vegetables and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened and then add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 2: Add all the other ingredients (including the heavy cream if using) EXCEPT for the cheeses, cream cheese and the garnish items. Let the soup come to a gentle boil, and then turn the heat down and partially cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Stir in the cheeses and the cream cheese if using, and stir until the cheeses melt.
Step 4: Ladle into bowls and garnish with toppings of your choice.