two thumbs up soup.

I think we have a new hobby - cooking. Over the years, Ting and I have started cooking a lot and we really enjoy it. We both find it relaxing and a nice way to spend time together after a long day at work.

Years ago, our friend gave us the Eating For Life cookbook and we love it. The ingredients aren't all fancy, the recipes are easy and pretty healthy. We just tried this one and passed it along to Colby. Both her and Jake loved it - and Jake isn't typically a soup person. We all found it to be filling with lots of leftovers for lunch.

Santa Fe Chicken Soup
Ingredients
⅓ cup brown rice (uncooked)
4 portions chicken breast (about 1lb)
1 lime, halved
2 tsp low sodium taco seasoning
6 corn tortillas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ onion, chopped
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
6 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
4 tbsp salsa
¼ cup fat-free sour cream
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

*Makes 4 generous servings: 335 calories & 34 grams of protein per serving


Directions
Cook brown rice according to package instructions. While the rice is cooking, place chicken breasts in a shallow dish; cover with lime juice, and lightly coat both sides with taco seasoning. Then place chicken on a hot pan and cook for approx 6 minutes on each side. Let the chicken cool slightly, then cut it into strips, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F and cut corn tortillas into ½ inch strips, then place them on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they are crispy, then set aside.

While the tortilla strips are baking, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; sauté until the onion is transparent, about 8 minutes.

Add cooked rice to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes. Add green chilies and sauté for 2 more minutes. Then pour fat-free chicken broth into the mixture and bring it to a boil. Add sliced chicken and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 25 minutes.

Place a few baked tortilla strips in the bottom of bowls, and spoon about a fourth of the soup into each. Garnish each bowl with a few more tortilla strips, a spoonful of salsa, fat-free sour cream and cilantro.

{colby and i often swap photos of our culinary creations. this is her soup. nice work, dude}