Amy the Mom

The Very Best Tortilla Soup

This is so good, you should make it tonight.  It's probably the most requested dish from my kitchen.  I think it's quite easy to make, but my friend LeAnn claims that anything with more than eight ingredients won't make the cut in her kitchen.  I cheat when I make this by using a store bought rotisserie chicken and buying the pico de gallo from Chipotle.   It's cheaper than making it yourself and a big time saver.   You can serve this soup in about 45 minutes from start to finish or you can let it simmer and thicken up overnight-then it becomes more of a tortilla stew, equally delicious either way.  To be honest, I don't even put tortilla strips in the soup.  The whole point of adding the tortillas is for thickening, but you're going to use corn masa for that.   If you want to use them as a garnish, go for it. 

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup diced red pepper
•  ¾ cup diced green pepper
•  1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
•  1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 ½ tsp Ground Coriander
•  Fresh ground black Pepper, about 1/2 tsp
• 1 quart Chicken Stock (preferably no salt)
• ½ cup frozen or fresh Corn
• 1 cup pico de gallo or Chipotle's tomato salsa
• 1 quart Petite Diced Tomatoes (28 oz. can)
•  Pulled meat from one small roasted chicken (just get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery)
•  1 tbsp Chicken Base
•  ½ tbsp Kosher Salt
•  6 tbsp Masa Corn Flour

Optional topping ingredients:   

Avocado, cut into cubes

Lime wedges

Sour cream

Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Extra pico de gallo

In a large pan, sautee the onion, peppers and garlic in a little olive oil for about five minutes.  Set aside. 

 

In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients except chicken meat and corn masa.  Bring ingredients to a simmer, then gradually whisk small quantities of the corn masa into the soup, sprinkling it across the surface and stirring until dissolved. 

Normally, I get all my spices from either Penzey's or Indian groceries.  But I grabbed this roasted cumin from the grocery during a recent visit and love it.  It's powerful good.

 

 This is my favorite brand of canned tomato products:

 
Dei Fratelli products are the best.  Their pizza sauce is so rich and delicious, everything else tastes like water in comparison. 

For the chicken stock, my pick is Kitchen Basics.  I prefer the unsalted version for this soup,
 
because the soup base adds plenty of sodium, and you're adding plenty of Kosher salt.

 
This is the only soup base I keep on hand.  It's a little spendy, but so worth it because a little goes a long way.  It adds a nice kick to gravy if the flavor is weak and it's the secret to my rich Chicken Tortellini Soup. 

 
I line up all the toppings in ramekins, and let each person add to their taste.  If you're on a low carb diet, this is a good choice and it's gluten free, too.  I'm on Weight Watchers right now, so it's three points for a one and a half cup serving.   

Homemade Pizza

Growing up, we had pizza one Friday a month.  My sisters and I split a bottle of Pepsi, and we'd share a Kraus' sausage pizza.   I can imagine what you're thinking, "A pizza shop with a German name?"  I know, but that pizza rocked.  Back in the day, we didn't have teenagers delivering our pies, so my sisters and I would tag along with one of our parents to the shop where Larry Kraus was baking pizzas for everyone in Massillon.  The windows of the shop were perpetually covered in steam, and the place was always around 90 degrees.  It was wonderful to walk in there on a cold winter night and leave with a pizza that would keep your lap warm the whole way home.  In spite of the ethnic disconnect, Larry looked the part of a pizza chef.  He was a big guy, who sported a Van Dyke beard, stood about six foot one and weighed 300 pounds.  A white apron covered him from chest to knees, and it was adorned with Rorschach blots of sauce. His face was covered in a thin sheen of perspiration which he'd constantly wipe off with his forearm, slicking back his thick salt and pepper hair in the process.  He and my mom had gone to high school together, and he knew our whole family-and probably everyone else's in town-by name.   

There was a rumor in Massillon that Larry had even shipped some half baked pizzas over to Vietnam to  during the war, they were so craved by our local troops.  I have no idea if that was true or not, but it was widely accepted.  Last Thanksgiving, I was in my hometown after a seven year absence, and the first thing I wanted was a Kraus' pizza.  My sister, Betsy, accommodated my request, and while the pizza was pretty good, it just wasn't the same.  My friend Lori hypothesized this is because Larry no longer bakes the pizzas, and the sweat he was perpetually wiping was actually an essential ingredient now lacking.

After sampling a deep dish Giordano's pizza in Chicago, I now believe that to be the best pie I've ever had, because I love a thick crust.  Minnesota does not have a good pizza, at least not that I've found, so I'm forced to bake my own.  My sister Betsy graciously gave me the secret to perfect homemade pizza and now that I'm on the low carb plan, she tipped me off to a delicious alternative.  I'll start with the deep dish pizza first, since it's the most decadent.    

Betsy's Homemade Pizza

One loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dei Fratelli Pizza Sauce (this is the BEST sauce there is-no doctoring necessary.  Even though I love the Mid's sauce family enough to marry it, their pizza sauce is merely a close second to Dei Fratelli)
Deli slices of provolone cheese
Toppings of choice, minced onion, minced red pepper, mushroom, sausage, pepperoni, ground beef or anything else you enjoy on your pie
Penzey's Pizza Seasoning

This recipe can be made deep dish style or in a traditional crust, either way, I use the Pampered Chef line of stoneware products to bake the pizza.  The deep dish baker for a thick crust, or the large round stone for a traditional.  Pick your method, then coat the stone with organic extra virgin olive oil.  Knead the bread dough to the desired shape, and place on stone.  Top with the desired amount of sauce, coating up to one inch of the border for the crust.  Top with the provolone cheese, desired toppings and sprinkle with the pizza seasonings.  Melt the butter and garlic, then brush it on the crust.  Bake on the lowest rack in your oven for 10-15 minutes or better yet, grill on medium heat for ten minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.  I usually brush the crust with more garlic butter about halfway through the cooking cycle...mmmmm.

The low carb version uses Santa Fe Whole Wheat Tortillas which I buy in bulk from Sam's Club.  There's only 6 grams net carbs in each.  The only difference in the technique is I don't coat the tortilla with garlic butter.  It's not the same as a thick and crusty pizza, I won't lie to you, but it's good enough to satisfy a craving.  Bake the pizzas on a cookie sheet for ten minutes at 400 degrees.

Chicken Parmesan

I'm down 17 pounds.  If I had incorporated any exercise other than yard work into my schedule the last month, I'm sure my weight loss would be more substantial, but I'll take the negative 17.  That's like two gallons of milk.  Gone.  I've worn suits to work this week that I haven't been able to fit into for two years. 

Tonight, I made a Chicken Parmesan that was awesome-although, it was devoid of Parmesan.  The kids even loved it, and everyone had seconds. 

Low Carb Chicken Parmesan

Six boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tsp McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning (from the grinder)
1 C milk
Organic extra virgin olive oil
2 C MID'S meatless sauce
6 slices provolone cheese

Using a meat mallet and two sheets of clear plastic wrap, pound the chicken breasts to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  Set aside.  Process the two slices of bread in a food processor until only fine crumbs are left.  Pour crumbs into a pie or dinner plate, then add the Italian seasoning.  (I've previously used another multi purpose Italian seasoning, but I didn't have as good results.  I think the fresh ground spices release more flavorful oils, enhancing the crumbs much more.)  Could you use dried bread crumbs?  I guess...but why do you fight me on this?  My way is the best way.  It isn't that difficult.

Coat the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking dish with about two tablespoons of the olive oil.  Set aside.  Heat some more olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat.  Let pan get hot.  Soak the chicken breasts in milk, then dredge in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any extra.  Place in skillet, and cook each side until golden brown.  Place the browned chicken in the baking pan and top each breast with a quarter cup of the MID's sauce.  Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes, then remove pan, place a slice of provolone on each breast and cook for five more minutes. 

You can serve with more sauce on the side if you like...and believe me, I like.  I could drink that stuff with a straw it's so good.  If I could make sauce that flavorful...well, I wouldn't be recruiting real estate agents for a living, I'd be canning that delicacy all day long, slapping a picture of some stereotypical Italian momma on it and charging seven bucks a jar.  If you don't have access to it, use your favorite meatless sauce, even though it won't be as good.  I practically wept in the pasta aisle at Rainbow Foods the day that I discovered they finally carried it.  I sent text messages to my friends and family in Ohio advising them that I no longer needed shipments of the stuff sent to me.  Then I ran into one of my husband's employees who backed away from me as I babbled about the exciting development in aisle two.  I put a jar in his cart with a strong endorsement, but I'm willing to bet he put it back as soon as I turned the corner, and then furiously wiped his hands on his pants in an attempt to eradicate my crazy cooties.