chicken bombed the lime zucchini

Or something like that...the result was some soupy goodness...

Good soupy-ness? Soup Goody? Gooey Soup? Yes, yes and no.

Here are some photos from my recently mentioned exploration with limes in chicken and zucchini bombs.


I made a tortilla soup...but really tortillas are just 1/16th of the recipe so why is it not called chicken soup? Perhaps the "chicken soup" name is politely reserved for grandma's goodness that helps you get better. That said, depending on the amount of adobo sauce you add, this recipe is sure to help with sinuses if, in fact, you need to get better.

the soup ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1-2 zucchinis chopped
28 oz low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can "Mexican-style" tomatoes, I used Kuners' diced tomatoes with chili spices
2 teaspoons adobo sauce (I had some left over from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce so decided to try it in this recipe)
16 ounces chicken breast, cut into thin strips (less than 1/2 inch wide)

accoutrements:
1 lime wedged
1 avocado sliced
1 cup jack cheese (or pepper jack)
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
2 green onions sliced
4 corn tortillas + 2 teaspoons olive oil

making the soup:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic for about 2 minutes (should become a little translucent, but not colored). Add water, chicken broth, bay leaf, tomatoes, cumin and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken and simmer until chicken is cooked thoroughly (10 minutes). Add 1 teaspoon adobo sauce. It is done!

making corn tortillas:
Oven to 375. Brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil. Stack them and cut in half. Stack again and cut into small strips. Place on non-stick baking sheet and bake until golden brown (about 10-15 minutes). Done!

To try something new, I decided to make some warm corn muffins to go with it all. Super easy, and I made them just before my mom came over for dinner...

corn muffins:
oven to 350
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup unbleached flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
mix.....then add

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 egg lightly beaten

Stir until well blended. Grease muffin tin and spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm (may or may not turn golden brown on top...they're ready when firm).

Results: Happy and full Todd, Marcia and Cindy. The soup is quick to make and you could definitely add other veggies (corn, black beans, summer squash...). The smoky flavor of the adobo sauce is what make it, so don't omit that!