Posole-- Tomatillo, Chicken and Hominy Soup

Posole, sometimes called "mexican chicken noodle soup", is made of fresh tomatillo, chicken, and hominy. It is a wonderful soup that brings a lot of fresh flavors to the table. Top it with a squeeze of lime, chopped cilantro, diced avocado and a dollop of light sour cream. Serve it with home-made cornbread and some fresh sliced fruit of the season, like pineapple or watermelon.

Bountiful Baskets Note: Great for the mexican ingredient pack (tomatillo, onion, jalepenos, cilantro, lime) . If your not familar with tomatillos, have fun experimenting!




Posole: Tomatillo, Chicken and Hominy Soup
(recipe adapted from cooking light)

Soup:
1 pound tomatillos
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and quartered
1 (30-ounce) can white hominy, drained
1 teaspoon salt

Toppings:
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
8 lime wedges

Preparation

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook whole tomatillos in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Place tomatillos in a blender; process until smooth; set aside.

Place broth and the next 5 ingredients (stock through hominy) in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred. Stir in pureed tomatillos and salt; cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Stir in chicken, and serve with cilantro, sour cream, avocado and lime wedges.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup)

Hominy is made of dried corn kernels from which the hulls and germs have been removed. It looks like a cooked and puffed up corn kernel. You can find it in the canned-vegetable section of the supermarket near the corn. I have come to really enjoy hominy because it offers that masa corn taste and texture that you get in tamales, but with out all added fat and hard labor.

Brownie Hearts

Aubree and I got up early this morning to make this "sweet treat" for her 2nd grade class's Valentine's Day party. We whipped up the brownies, sprinkled them with red and pink sparkly sugar crystals, baked them, then cut out 30 hearts with a cookie cutter. She was excited to bring them to share with her class.

This is actually the same recipe I used to make with my mom when I was in 2nd grade! It is just a simple and basic recipe that is easy to make with kids. What great food and family traditions! I bagged up the left over brownie scraps and put them in the freezer. I will save it for a future icecream pie crust, a sundae topping, or a brownie-bits banana milk shake.

Grandma Lela's Easy Breeze Brownies

1/4 c butter

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C flour

1/3 C cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Melt butter is square pan brownies are to be made in, and then pour in bowl over beaten eggs. Add other ingredients, stir well, blend 2 minutes and pour into pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: For the cutouts, one "doubled" recipe fits nicely in a jelly-roll pan or edged cookie sheet.

Roasted Mediterranean Chicken

This dish is great roasted in your oven at home or in the "dutch" over hot coals out in the woods. When camping, I serve it with a ceasar salad, fire-roasted butternut squash, and garlic bread. My husband teases me that we should be roasting hot dogs instead, but he never complains when the food is hot and ready! This is also a great meal to bring to a friend or neighbor in need. It has that "make-ahead" appeal; you can make it early, clean up your mess, then toss it in the oven about 45 minutes before dinner!


This is a pre-roasted picture. It smelled too good to stop and take a picture of it after it was done! There's nothing like good food on a campout.

Roasted Mediterranean Chicken

1 1/4 cups reduced fat refrigerated Alfredo Sauce (I know a "cheater" ingredient!!) Don't use the bottled stuff.
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 garlic cloves, crushed

4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
8 small red potatoes (about 1 pound)
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
12 large pitted ripe olives, quartered
Rosemary sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 6 ingredients. Arrange chicken in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Brush 3/4 cup sauce mixture over chicken. Arrange potatoes, tomatoes, artichokes, and 10 garlic cloves around chicken. Brush vegetables with 1/3 cup sauce mixture. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and olives. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Brush chicken and vegetables with remaining sauce mixture; bake an ad-ditional 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1 1/2 cups vegetables)

Mexican Chicken Soup

This is one of our favorite soups. We usually serve it with skillet-warmed tortillas. It's a great one-dish meal, loaded with veggies, bite-sized seasoned chicken breast chunks and a broth you'll want to lap up once the rest is gone. Don’t leave out the cinnamon, along with the creamy monterey jack cheese, it makes the soup. It doesn't really need a side dish, but if you'd like, serve it with some fresh cut mango.

Bountiful Basket's note: Great if you have an abundance of Zucchini!




Mexican Chicken Soup
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cider vinegar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
2 ½ C slivered onion (about 1 large)
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 ½ C chicken broth
4 C zucchini
1 ½ C frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 Tbs minced pickled jalepeno peppers
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried whole oregano
1 (14 oz can) diced tomatoes
1 C Moterey Jack cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin mixture, chicken, onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Ladle into soup bowls; top with cheese. Yield 15 cups (serving size: 1 ½ cups and 1 Tbs cheese)

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This recipe is simple, fresh, and comes together very quickly. I had an abundance of tomatoes, avocados, and limes from my bountiful basket, some yellow rice and beans left over from Rochelle's 30th birthday party (thanks Shell!), and broccoli and cauliflower ready for harvest in my back yard.... so this dinner was a sinch. I used boneless center-cut porkchops for a change from chicken breast, but this zesty lime marinade works well with both. Sorry no picture! In the winter time there just isn't enough natural lighting in the evenings to get a good picture!

Chicken or Pork:
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon saltCooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

1. To prepare chicken or pork, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1/4 cup salsa)
Recipe source: Cookinglight