Green Chile Chicken Soup

A friend started a recipe group on Facebook.  She wants fast and easy recipes.  Fast and easy I do all the time.  Recipes for fast and easy?  Not my thing.  It usually takes longer to explain how to do it than to cook the entire meal.  

While this soup isn't exactly "fast and easy" it is quick and moderately painless.  Go ahead and use thighs or even whole chicken if you want.   Use dry or fresh spices.  Use any peppers you have.

Yes, it is mild.  Add more peppers if you want it hotter.  Or leave some seeds in.  Milder, use a couple bell peppers.

Don't want to use beer?  Just use another 12 oz of chicken broth just watch your seasonings because it might get salty.

Green Chile Chicken Soup

Chicken, black beans, vegetables, and Green Chile enchilada sauce make this rich. Banana peppers mild heat really makes this soup great. Serving size: 1 cup

Ingredients

1 ¼ lbs (4 -5 small) boneless skinless chicken breast (diced) 2  15 oz cans black beans (drained and rinsed) 1 28 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce ! Tbsp olive oil, divided 1 tsp chili powder 2 tsps cumin 1 tbsp garlic powder (or 2-6 cloves finely chopped fresh garlic) 2 cups Chicken broth or 2 teaspoons bullion and 2 cups water 1 tsp dry oregano (1 Tbsp fresh.) 1 medium carrot (diced) 3 stalks celery (diced) 1 cup chopped onion 6 small banana peppers (seeded and diced) 3 jalapeno peppers (seeded and diced) 1 can (12 oz) Mexican beer Kosher salt (or just table salt) to taste 4 medium scallions (sliced)

Directions:

Heat a large (6 - 10 quart) heavy pan over medium high heat. (Non-stick pans may give off bad fumes when overheated so I don't use them.) Add half the oil to hot pan and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Add all the chicken. The chicken on the bottom should brown instantly. stir the chicken occasionally, juice will come out. Sprinkle chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder (not fresh garlic!) on the chicken and keep stirring/tossing until most of the pink is gone. Remove the chicken.  Place it in a bowl or platter that will save any juices. Add the rest of the oil.  Swirl it around.  Toss in all the the vegetables.  (Now add fresh garlic.)  Turn the heat down a bit.  We want the veggies to sweat not brown. A tiny pinch of salt here will help. When the onion starts turn clear, dump in the beer.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the flavor. Once the beer boils.  Everything except the scallions goes in the pot.  Make sure to get all the juices from the chicken. Bring just to the boiling point over medium heat and then reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrots are done enough. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Top with sliced scallions. Serve with your favorite dairy products, lime, and or shredded cabbage and radishes

Print/Download

Upcycled orange bag

 Orange Bag Redone

Materials:

1 nylon net bag used for oranges or onions or other fruits and vegetables.

Worsted weight (DK) cotton yarn ( I used two small leftover balls about the size of a large egg each.)
Crochet hook  sized for the holes in your net.  (I used an H/5mm.)

Yarn needle (optional, but makes tail weaving easier)

Method:

1.  Trim the ends so that they are square or even.
2. Starting at bottom, fold over about one inch of the bag evenly.  (Make a "hem" or "cuff")
3. Join yarn with a slip stitch in any hole along the fold. (the holes are a bit hard to see. Stretch the bag to find them easier.)
4. Chain 1, single crochet in each hole around making sure that you go through two layers of bag. Join with a slip stitch to first single crochet.
5. Chain 1, single crochet 2 together around. (or single crochet , single crochet 2 together if a larger base is desired) Join with slip stitch to first Single crochet.
6. Continue single crochet 2 together ( or SC, SC2Tog) and joining each round until 3 stitches remain. Fasten off leaving long tail.
7. With yarn needle, close hole and weave in tails.
8. Top:  Fold over about two inches then fold again so that there are four layers for your hook to go through.
9. Join yarn and crochet around like you did in steps 3 & 4.  this time make sure you go through four layers of bag.
10. Chain 1, Single crochet around. Join with slip stitch to first single crochet.
11. Chain 1, Single crochet in first 10 stitches (Omit If you don't mind having your handle at your join ), chain a nice handle length (10-12 inches), Join with a slip stitch on the opposite side of the rim.  (I just laid the bag flat with the stitch the chain started from on my right and carefully without twisting the chain dove into the stitch that was on my far left..)
12. Single crochet in each chain back to the first chain then continue Single crochet around to chain join. Slip stitch to opposite side of  the chain Single crochet the other side of the chain, slip stitch in the space at chain base , and finish the round. join to first single crochet with slip stitch and bind off.
13. weave in ends.

Printable Documents

I totally dislike finding recipes or patterns on blogs that I can't just download with a few clicks.  I am very guilty of that myself.  My recipes and patterns are embedded in the text of blog and therefore must be copied  and pasted to be saved by you, my audience.

I am working on trying to figure out how to upload a printable copy of each recipe and pattern.  I've started with our favorite Mac and Almost Cheese recipe (September 2011).

I'm double checking that the print copy and the blog copy are the same. I sometimes make changes to one and forget to make changes in the other.  Be patient, if this works I hope to have all the files available by the end of 2013.  If you have a special interest, drop me note on G+  and I'll see about moving that file to the head of the line.