chili verde, chicken & corn chowder and sweet tortilla soup

For this week's food for thought friday we've finally moved on from drinks, breads and appetizers to main dishes from the annual church bake-off, and today's theme is soups (chilis and stews included). These are three of my favorites from the evening, though I might include a great crock-pot chicken recipe next week as well. It's still cold so this recipes are still perfect!

Ed's Famous Chili Verde is famous because when we had our church chili night, it was the first to go and those of us who didn't get any had to listen to everyone rave about it. The Chicken & Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes was a pleasant surprise for me, someone who does NOT like sweet potatoes. This is probably the only way I would eat them! And the Sweet Tortilla Soup was wonderfully sweet and the kind of soup that begs to be topped with sour cream, cheese and tortilla strips. Soup's on!

Ed's Famous Chili Verde
2 lbs. pork roast, cut into small pieces
oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
6 Anaheim Chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped or 1 can "Whole Fire Roasted Chilies"
4 oz can of tomatillos, drained and puréed
1/2 T cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red chilies
2 T chopped cilantro
1 cube chicken bouillon, dissolved in 1 C. water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place oil in a pan and brown the pork. Season the pork with salt and pepper during browning. Transfer pork to a crock pot and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 4-5 hours. If you like your soup thicker, add flour or tortilla flour dissolved in water to thicken. Serve with cheddar cheese and tortillas.


Chicken & Corn Chowder with Sweet Potatoes
3 c whole milk (skim works)
1 c yellow corn muffin mix (Jiffy is the best)
2 T unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 qts. low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ lbs.), peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 c frozen corn (not thawed)
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix milk and muffin mix in bowl until well combined. Meanwhile, heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken, and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sweet potatoes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

Stir in milk and muffin mixture and simmer until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and corn and cook until cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper and serve. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 3 days.)


Sweet Tortilla Soup
1 lb ground turkey or beef
2 T cumin
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 8-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans
1 can corn
1 c brown sugar
1 c fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 avocado, diced
Tortilla chips

Fully cook turkey or beef with cumin. Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, beans, corn, and brown sugar into crock pot. Stir in cooked turkey. Cook 2-3 hours on high. Just before serving top with cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips.

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." ~H. L. Mencken