Chicken Tortilla Soup - So easy and fabulous!

With snow on the ground this morning, it had to be a soup day, especially a soup in the crockpot!  The sunshine shone brightly and melted all the snow away but that didn't dampen our appetites for this yummy soup!
I took basically the recipe for the soup from Allrecipes (love that site) and altered it just a bit for a bit lower carbs.
For our taste, it was not at all spicy.  But one son has literally drank salsa at the mexican restaurant before.  Spicy has to have some strong kick around here.   We heated corn chips and topped with cheese and sour cream for an easy but delicious dinner.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crockpot

1 pound cooked chicken (I had approximately that much already cooked in the freezer - you could easily use less meat and be fine)
2 cups chicken broth
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small onion chopped
1 pepper (I used orange)
1 can black beans
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 heaping tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro (I used dried flakes)
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all of the above in the crockpot.  My chicken was frozen when I placed it in and in large chunks of meat.  Leave on low for 6-8 hours.  An hour or so prior to serving, shred any chunks of meat to make it easier to eat.  I took out the meat and used to forks pulling away from one another.  Serve with homemade tortilla strips or corn chips.  Enjoy!

Beef and Barley Soup - bring on Fall!

  
  Waking up to a dreary sky, drizzling rain just screams SOUP to me!  Deciding which soup to make was the harder decision.  I could eat soup for 7 days and be happy! (My family probably wouldn't agree - so we haven't taken that challenge!)  And the winner for today was -Beef and Barley, in the crockpot - bonus for a Saturday!
     I pulled up the recipe I used for Beef Barley Stew and Easy Hamburger Soup and switch them up a bit.  Soups to me are honestly an easy entree to make - kind of like a quiche or an omelet.   A great vegetable soup is essentially emptying out the crisper in the refrigerator!
     So here is what I came up with for my Beef and Barley Soup - and it was DELICIOUS!  Kids all ate TWO bowls, full of veggies and goodness!

Beef and Barley Soup
1lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped into small pieces
3 Beef Bouillon cubes
1 can diced tomatoes - juice and all
1 can corn - don't drain
3 tablespoons oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups water (may need to add another as it cooks)
3/4 cup barley (uncooked)

Brown hamburger in skillet with onions.  Add everything BUT barley into crockpot.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Add Barley 3 hours prior to serving to allow for it to cook.  If it becomes too thick while cooking, add another cup of water.

Enjoy!