Quick Tortilla Soup

Quick Tortilla Soup
Courtesy of The Pampered Chef

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) taco seasoning mix
1 garlic clove, pressed
6 cups (1.5 L) chicken broth
1/2 cup (125 mL) thick and chunky salsa

1/4 cup (50 mL) lime juice
2 cups (500 mL) chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup (50 mL) snipped fresh cilantro
2 cups (500 mL) broken tortilla chips
Toppings such as grated queso fresco, diced avocado, sour cream and diced tomato (optional)
Directions:
1. In (4-qt./4L) Casserole, cook onion, jalapeño pepper, taco seasoning and garlic pressed with Garlic Press over medium-high heat 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add chicken broth, salsa and lime juice. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in chicken and cilantro.
2. Ladle soup into bowls using Ladle; sprinkle with broken tortilla chips and toppings, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 150, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Protein 12 g, Sodium 850 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Touchdown Taco Dip

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes as well as appetizer! I have made it a zillion times and will make it many more times I am sure!

Touchdown Taco Dip
Courtesy of The Pampered Chef Stoneware Sensations Cookbook

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can pitted ripe olives
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
tortilla chips

1. Spread the refried beans in a square stone baker (or a 9-inch square baking dish).
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and garlic.
3. Mix well with electric mixer.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of refried beans.
5. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of cream cheese mixture.
6. Sprinkle olives, tomatoes, onions and cilantro on top.
7. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
8. Serve hot with Tortilla Chips!

Southwestern Snack Squares

These are sooooooooooo good! Blue and I lived on them in our early 20's. It is just so hard to believe we have been making them that long! They are quick, easy and perfect for one of those at-home-movie-nights.



Southwestern Snack Squares
(PChef)

2 T. cornmeal
2 pkg. (235g each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 can (14 oz./398 ml) refried black beans or refried beans
2 tsp. chili powder
6 oz. old Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 C./375 ml) (Extra Cheese is a must!)
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 green onions with tops, sliced
1/2 C. pitted ripe olives, chopped
1 C. salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle stoneware bar pan with cornmeal.

Unroll crescent rolls into 4 rectangles; lay across pan with longest sides of dough across shortest sides of Pam. Using pizza roller, roll dough to seal perforations and press up sides of pan to form crust. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

In a bowl, combine refried beans and chili powder; spread over crust. Spread cheese over bean mixture. Dice tomatoes and slice green onions. Chop olives. Sprinkle vegetables over cheese. Cut with a pizza cutter; serve. Top each serving with salsa, if desired. Yields 24 servings.

Per serving: 120 calories; 4g protein; 7 g fat; 12g carbohydrate; 295 mg sodium

Chicken Enchilada Ring

Ok, This may be the only recipe I am going to post that I have yet to try personally. It has been on my hit list forever, and I have no good reason why I have not tried it yet. It is one of those Pampered Chef Wreaths, so I just know it will be good! It looks very colorful and festive in the photo.

Chicken Enchilada Ring
The Pampered Chef Celebrate Cook Book

2 cup coarsely chopped chicken
1/4 cup chopped pitted ripe olives
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack/Cheddar blend
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 plum tomatoes
1 lime
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips, divided
2 pkgs. crescent rolls
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix chopped chicken, olives, cheese, green chilies, mayonnaise and seasoning mix in bowl. Seed and chop one tomato. Slice lime in half. Juice one half of lime to measure 1 t. of juice. Reserve remaining lime for garnish. Add chopped tomato and lime juice to chicken mixture. Reserve 2 T. crushed chips and add remaining chips to chicken mixture. Mix well. Sprinkle reserved crushed chips over flat side of a large cutting board. Place dough onto chips and press down so chips adhere to dough. Separate dough into triangles. Arrange triangles, chip side down, in a circle on a 13" baking stone. Wide ends should overlap in the center and points should be toward the outside. There should be a 5" diameter opening in the center. Scoop chicken mixture onto the wide ends of the triangles. Bring points of the triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends. Do not cover filling completely. It should show in between each triangle. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. For garnish, cut remaining tomato into 8 wedges. Cut remaining half of lime into 4 slices, cut in half. Arrange between openings of ring where filling is showing. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Fabulous Fajita Pizza

Sometimes nothing can beat a quick, easy, family friendly recipe! Although I have not made this in years, I can still remember just how much we enjoyed this recipe!

Fabulous Fajita Pizza
(PChef)

Recipe:
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium green bell pepper
1 medium onion
Vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1-2 teaspoons Southwestern Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 package (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
6 ounces cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, snipped


1. Preheat oven to 425?F. Slice red and green bell peppers into 1-inch strips Slice onion into ?-inch-thick slices.

2. Heat a stir fry skillet over high heat; spray with oil. Press garlic into skillet using a garlic press; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, onion and Seasoning mix; stir-fry 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa.

3. Roll pizza crust to a 14-inch circle on a large round stone using a lightly floured pizza roller. Arrange vegetables over crust. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Shred cheese; sprinkle over pizza.

4. Bake 18-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Snip cilantro; sprinkle over pizza. Cut with a pizza cutter; serve.

Yield: 8 servings or 16 sample servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 190, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 20 mg, Carbohydrate 20 g, Protein 9 g, Sodium 460 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook's Tip: Substitute 1-2 teaspoons chili powder for Southwestern Seasoning Mix, if desired.

Fiesta Chili Corn Bread

This looks incredible and tastes even better! Fun way to use my flan pans!


Fiesta Chili Corn Bread
(PChef)

Corn Bread Crust
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (11 ounces) can Mexican-style corn, drained
2 (9 ounces) packages corn muffin mix
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs slightly, beaten

Filling
1 (15 ounces) can chili without beans
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
1/2 chopped drained pitted ripe olives
Sour Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 f.
For the crust, coat two large flan pans lightly with oil. Line the bottom with cooking parchment. Combine the corn, muffin mix, milk and eggs in a bowl mix well. Spoon half the batter into each of the prepared pans.
Bake 20 minutes. Invert each crust on a serving platter.

For the filling, heat the chili in a 1 1/2 qt saucepan over the medium heat until hot. stirring occasionally. Spread the chili over the crust. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Monterey Jack Cheese and green onions and olives.


Garnish with sour cream.
Cut each into 8 wedges.
Yields: 16 servings

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Cilantro-Lime Butter

Chipotle powder really kicks this up a bit, but you might want to omit it, if serving this to a bunch of wimps. ;-)

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Cilantro-Lime Butter

1 lime
1 teaspoon finely snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
6 ears corn, husks and silk removed

Directions:
1. Zest lime using Lemon Zester/Scorer; finely chop zest to measure 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lime to measure 1 teaspoon juice. In small bowl, combine lime zest, juice, cilantro, salt and softened butter; mix well. Refrigerate butter mixture 30 minutes.
2. Place the corn on a hot grill till done. Remove corn and serve immediately with butter.
Yield: 6 servings

Fantastic Focaccia Bread

This is the first Focaccia Bread Blue ever made. We used to eat it fairly often when we were just starting out.


Fantastic Focaccia Bread

1 pkg. (10 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 oz. Romano cheese grated, divided
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, divided
2 firm plum tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Roll pizza crust into a 12-inch circle on 13-inch baking stone using lightly floured pizza roller. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork before adding toppings. Press garlic; spread evenly over crust. Grate half of Romano cheese (1/3 cup) over crust. Sprinkle with 1-cup mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon oregano. Thinly slice tomatoes; arrange in single layer over cheese.

Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and oregano. Grate remaining Romano cheese over top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cut into squares; serve hot.

Tip: add onions, peppers and olives until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt & pepper. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled crust. Coarsely chop or crinkle cut chosen vegetables. Sprinkle layer of each vegetable over pizza. Top with grated cheese, if desired. Refrigerate before serving.

Yield: 8-10 appetizer servings

Cool Veggie Pizza

I have made this so many times that I could do it with my eyes closed. It is perfect when the weather begins to warm and produce from the south starts to hit our local farm stands.

Cool Veggie Pizza (PChef)

1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pkg (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 tsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dill Mix or dill weed
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups of a variety of fresh vegetables: zucchini,
mushrooms, carrots, green & red peppers, green
onions, seeded tomatoes, seeded cucumbers, etc.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread crescent roll dough onto 13-inch baking stone and pinch seams together (you can probably use a cookie sheet as well). Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt & pepper. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled crust. Coarsely chop or crinkle cut chosen vegetables. Sprinkle layer of each vegetable over pizza. Top with grated cheese, if desired. Refrigerate before serving.

Yield: 8-10 appetizer servings