Since they all loved the chicken tortilla soup so much but I am far too lazy to make that again, I thought I'd do something similar but, you know, easier. They're happy, I'm happy that way, right?
So I found this recipe over on A Year of Crockpotting (which is a really awesome blog, btw) and adapted to my needs.
I mostly just doubled it, but I did use canned beans (it's getting toward the end of tax season, I'm getting too lazy for dry!) I also subbed cans of corn for frozen (no room in my freezer!) and I only used half the chicken broth called for (if you doubled it) because after doubling everything else, there was only room for about 4 cups. (I think they will like a thicker soup anyway, and since I'm using canned beans they don't need as much liquid.) I don't intend to thicken it, oh, and after cooking (8 hrs. on Low) the sour cream, instead of being stirred in (because it sits on warm afterward, it would separate or curdle) will just be served on the side for people to put in. I used La Victoria salsa because it's my fave, I feel it has the most flavor. But the store only had Medium so I added a dash of chipotle to up the heat juuust a smidge. I loved that the chicken was the only cutting I had to do! (I used frozen boneless, skinless thighs-- half of a 4 lb. package, no measuring necessary. ;) )
On the side, I sent the sour cream, some shredded Mexican blend cheese (made with 2% milk) and some organic tortilla chips (same price as regular, may as well go organic!) They can crumble them in or eat on the side, as they wish. :)
I wasn't sure how to categorize this but it seems more Tex-Mex than Mexican to me so that's what I'm going with.
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
For Tue. 3/24: Beef Stew
Beef stew is a crockpot classic. I don't really use a recipe; I kind of make it the way my dad always did, modified for the crockpot. I split of a little less than 1/3 for our dinner tomorrow. Here's what I used (total, between the 2 crockpots):
-Trim the fat from and cut up a 4 1/3 lb. beef shoulder roast (pot roast meat is a lot cheaper than pre-cut stew meat, and cooks the same, and is often better quality. Look for something marked "pot roast.") You want about 1 1/2 inch chunks.
-In a Ziplock style bag (gallon size), toss about 1/2 cup flour with about 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 Tbsp. pepper (or to taste; can also use seasoned salt.)
-Toss beef chunks in flour. Then brown in a small amount of hot oil, just until the beef is beginning to take on some color. (Reserve the extra flour in the bag!)
-In the crockpot(s), toss 2 onions, diced, 6 large or 10 small potatoes, peeled and diced, about 45 baby carrots, halved, 3 stems celery, sliced, 2 medium-ish turnips, peeled and diced, 4-5 cloves garlic, minced, and about 3 Tbsp. rosemary, crushed between your fingers. (You want your dices pretty large, almost the size of the beef chunks, except the onions a little smaller.)
-Add the browned beef.
-In the bag with the flour, add 2 14 oz. cans beef broth, 2-3 Tbsp. gravy browning (this is important! Don't skip it, it gives a stew that "certain something") and about 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce. Close bag and shake (and mush if necessary) until flour is all mixed in. Pour over stew ingredients. (If you're doing this on the stove you'd add some water, too.)
-Cover and cook low and slow until done-- about 8-10 hours on Low, usually.
I made biscuits to go with. Mmmmm. Stew and biscuits. I'm drooling already.
-Trim the fat from and cut up a 4 1/3 lb. beef shoulder roast (pot roast meat is a lot cheaper than pre-cut stew meat, and cooks the same, and is often better quality. Look for something marked "pot roast.") You want about 1 1/2 inch chunks.
-In a Ziplock style bag (gallon size), toss about 1/2 cup flour with about 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 Tbsp. pepper (or to taste; can also use seasoned salt.)
-Toss beef chunks in flour. Then brown in a small amount of hot oil, just until the beef is beginning to take on some color. (Reserve the extra flour in the bag!)
-In the crockpot(s), toss 2 onions, diced, 6 large or 10 small potatoes, peeled and diced, about 45 baby carrots, halved, 3 stems celery, sliced, 2 medium-ish turnips, peeled and diced, 4-5 cloves garlic, minced, and about 3 Tbsp. rosemary, crushed between your fingers. (You want your dices pretty large, almost the size of the beef chunks, except the onions a little smaller.)
-Add the browned beef.
-In the bag with the flour, add 2 14 oz. cans beef broth, 2-3 Tbsp. gravy browning (this is important! Don't skip it, it gives a stew that "certain something") and about 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce. Close bag and shake (and mush if necessary) until flour is all mixed in. Pour over stew ingredients. (If you're doing this on the stove you'd add some water, too.)
-Cover and cook low and slow until done-- about 8-10 hours on Low, usually.
I made biscuits to go with. Mmmmm. Stew and biscuits. I'm drooling already.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Mon. 3/16: Lentil-Veggie Soup
I used this recipe. Doubled, of course. The only change was that I put the pepper in at the beginning.
It looks to be very hearty. It will cook probably several hours on Low and then finish up on High. I have some kind of interesting bread I found at the bakery called schwartz brot. It's a sourdough made with part rye and part wheat flour. Looks good. Smells good too!
It looks to be very hearty. It will cook probably several hours on Low and then finish up on High. I have some kind of interesting bread I found at the bakery called schwartz brot. It's a sourdough made with part rye and part wheat flour. Looks good. Smells good too!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
For Tue. 3/10: Pasta E Fagioli
I used this recipe (a recipe I didn't have to double! Wow!)
I added 2 cloves of garlic.
I subbed a dash of cayenne for the Tabasco.
As suggested by reviewers, I cooked the pasta (Bertolli Piccolini Mini Farfalle) separately and Jeff will add it in at the end.
I somehow managed to leave the store without buying the beef broth. And, I am somehow out of beef boullion (which I ALWAYS keep on hand, I don't know what happened, really.) So I flavored some water with 2 or 3 Tbsp. of Worchestershire sauce, to add color and meatiness. I doubt they'll notice. (I also decreased the water by about 2 ounces because I'm not putting the pasta in dry to soak up some of the liquid. The pot still ended up full to the VERY top. This is a HUGE recipe, folks.)
They'll eat that with some rolls we got. (And they'll like it. Or else. ;) No, just kidding, but I'm sure they'll like it.)
My first impression is that I could have done with half the beef. But we will see when it is cooked.
I added 2 cloves of garlic.
I subbed a dash of cayenne for the Tabasco.
As suggested by reviewers, I cooked the pasta (Bertolli Piccolini Mini Farfalle) separately and Jeff will add it in at the end.
I somehow managed to leave the store without buying the beef broth. And, I am somehow out of beef boullion (which I ALWAYS keep on hand, I don't know what happened, really.) So I flavored some water with 2 or 3 Tbsp. of Worchestershire sauce, to add color and meatiness. I doubt they'll notice. (I also decreased the water by about 2 ounces because I'm not putting the pasta in dry to soak up some of the liquid. The pot still ended up full to the VERY top. This is a HUGE recipe, folks.)
They'll eat that with some rolls we got. (And they'll like it. Or else. ;) No, just kidding, but I'm sure they'll like it.)
My first impression is that I could have done with half the beef. But we will see when it is cooked.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bonus Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas with Soup Bones
Soup bones were on clearance and black-eye peas take a lot of the same ingredients as pea soup so I decided to put some in our crockpot for our lunch or dinner tomorrow (no room in the fridge so it will just cook overnight.)
Here's what I did:
Put about 3 lbs. beef soup bones or pork or ham or other meaty bones in the crockpot.
Add 16 ounces dried black-eyed peas, rinsed.
Add 2 carrots, sliced (or equivalent baby carrots), 1/2 medium onion, diced, 2 stalks celery, sliced, 2 cloves garlic, minced, and black pepper to taste (I prefer to add salt at the end.) If desired, add chili or chipotle powder to taste. If desired, add 1 can diced tomatoes. (I didn't add either this time.)
Pour over about 1 1/2 quarts water, or more if needed (judge it by eye, remember you won't lose as much in the crockpot as on the stove.) Cook on Low until done, adding water and stirring as needed. Season with salt, remove bones, and stir before serving. Serve with rice or cornbread. Mmm.
Here's what I did:
Put about 3 lbs. beef soup bones or pork or ham or other meaty bones in the crockpot.
Add 16 ounces dried black-eyed peas, rinsed.
Add 2 carrots, sliced (or equivalent baby carrots), 1/2 medium onion, diced, 2 stalks celery, sliced, 2 cloves garlic, minced, and black pepper to taste (I prefer to add salt at the end.) If desired, add chili or chipotle powder to taste. If desired, add 1 can diced tomatoes. (I didn't add either this time.)
Pour over about 1 1/2 quarts water, or more if needed (judge it by eye, remember you won't lose as much in the crockpot as on the stove.) Cook on Low until done, adding water and stirring as needed. Season with salt, remove bones, and stir before serving. Serve with rice or cornbread. Mmm.
Tue. 3/3: Split Pea Soup
I looove split pea soup. Hopefully the guys will too.
I doubled this recipe. I had like 3 but this looked the most like my on-the-stove recipe, plus I'll admit I was swayed by the "don't stir" directions. ;)
Notes:
-I Don't Do whole carrots. I'm lazy like that but I ABHOR peeling. For your future reference, 5 baby carrots are equivalent to 1 whole medium carrot. I usually mince them for pea soup but for this recipe I followed directions and sliced. They'll fall apart anyway, it's the crockpot.
-I bought pre-diced ham. It was the same price per pound as ham steak. Did I mention I'm lazy? If you got other ham on sale it would be cheaper but no ham was on sale so I bought pre-diced. I only used 1 lb. and I think that was about 1/2 the amount the (doubled) recipe would have called for but it looked like plenty to me.
-I ran out of seasoned salt. Regular salt it is.
-I couldn't find my pepper grinder. I love how things disappear around here. I used pre-ground instead and since it was really old (hardly ever use it) doubled the amount.
-Obviously I didn't use hot water, what's the point? I did use filtered, we have hard water around here. 3 qts wouldn't all fit in the crockpot with the other stuff. I used 2 1/2 quarts 'cause that's what fit.
Jeff will cook for 5 hours on High (then Warm for 2 or 3 hours) or 9 hours or so on Low, then remove the bay leaves, stir, and serve with sourdough break-off rolls we picked up at the bakery. Mmmm.
I doubled this recipe. I had like 3 but this looked the most like my on-the-stove recipe, plus I'll admit I was swayed by the "don't stir" directions. ;)
Notes:
-I Don't Do whole carrots. I'm lazy like that but I ABHOR peeling. For your future reference, 5 baby carrots are equivalent to 1 whole medium carrot. I usually mince them for pea soup but for this recipe I followed directions and sliced. They'll fall apart anyway, it's the crockpot.
-I bought pre-diced ham. It was the same price per pound as ham steak. Did I mention I'm lazy? If you got other ham on sale it would be cheaper but no ham was on sale so I bought pre-diced. I only used 1 lb. and I think that was about 1/2 the amount the (doubled) recipe would have called for but it looked like plenty to me.
-I ran out of seasoned salt. Regular salt it is.
-I couldn't find my pepper grinder. I love how things disappear around here. I used pre-ground instead and since it was really old (hardly ever use it) doubled the amount.
-Obviously I didn't use hot water, what's the point? I did use filtered, we have hard water around here. 3 qts wouldn't all fit in the crockpot with the other stuff. I used 2 1/2 quarts 'cause that's what fit.
Jeff will cook for 5 hours on High (then Warm for 2 or 3 hours) or 9 hours or so on Low, then remove the bay leaves, stir, and serve with sourdough break-off rolls we picked up at the bakery. Mmmm.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Tues. 2/24: L'hamraak Garagh (Moroccan Pumpkin Soup)
I used this recipe.
Notes:
-Made 1 1/2 recipes' worth
-Used canned instead of dried beans; since dried beans approximately double their volume, used about twice as much.
-Used 2 leeks and a large onion, since leeks are expensive and it's a strong onion. I skipped sauteeing them, just put them straight in the crockpot (after washing of course-- have to be careful washing leeks, dirt can get trapped in them as they grow.)
-Used vegetable broth
-Used canned pumpkin for an easy no-puree smooth texture; will leave beans whole though
-Used allspice AND cloves AND nutmeg, because you can't have too much flavor. ;) Used ground cinnamon.
It will be served with yogurt to dollop in and chunks of "finger bread" which is just a plain, sturdy-textured wheat bread that's excellent with soup.
Notes:
-Made 1 1/2 recipes' worth
-Used canned instead of dried beans; since dried beans approximately double their volume, used about twice as much.
-Used 2 leeks and a large onion, since leeks are expensive and it's a strong onion. I skipped sauteeing them, just put them straight in the crockpot (after washing of course-- have to be careful washing leeks, dirt can get trapped in them as they grow.)
-Used vegetable broth
-Used canned pumpkin for an easy no-puree smooth texture; will leave beans whole though
-Used allspice AND cloves AND nutmeg, because you can't have too much flavor. ;) Used ground cinnamon.
It will be served with yogurt to dollop in and chunks of "finger bread" which is just a plain, sturdy-textured wheat bread that's excellent with soup.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday 2/10: Kohlsuppe (Cabbage Soup with Polish Sausage)
Okay, so I really modified the recipe on this one. But I hope it will be good anyway. ;)
I took this recipe as my jumping-off point.
I started by sauteeing a large onion with one pound of kielbasa, sliced rather thin, until the onions were just turning golden.
Then I peppered it pretty heavily (so the pepper would get through everything.)
I stirred in as I chopped 2 small heads green cabbage (I sliced in half, removed the cores, and THEN rinsed before cutting, in case dirt was trapped between the leaves.) I chopped them in about 1 to 1 1/2 inch squares/rectangles, just a rough chop. I wilted down the leaves so they would all fit; adding them a bit at a time gave room for them to shrink. I kept stirring until they were wilted down to about half their original volume.
Then I dumped in one 2 lb. package frozen hashbrowns (the kind that are just diced potatoes and something to keep them from browning.) Mixed them all up. Transferred to the crockpot.
Then I poured chicken broth over; I ended up using 7 cups (4 14 ounce cans.)
I did not salt because I prefer, when using such salty foods, to let people salt to taste.
I would have thrown in some caraway seed but apparently mine is lost... No clue where it is, I thought I had some but couldn't find it. :( If you do this, caraway seed would be good.
It will cook about 4 hours on High or 8 on Low, I think. Cabbage is one of the few veggies that takes well to long cooking; the longer you cook it the more tender and almost creamy it gets in texture. In a soup like this all the nutrients that leach out when you overcook veggies go right into the broth, so it doesn't really matter, they'll still be eaten. :) Definitely will need stirring before serving.
It will be served with Ukranian rye bread (dense and slightly dry, perfect with soup) and sour cream to dollop on top.
I took this recipe as my jumping-off point.
I started by sauteeing a large onion with one pound of kielbasa, sliced rather thin, until the onions were just turning golden.
Then I peppered it pretty heavily (so the pepper would get through everything.)
I stirred in as I chopped 2 small heads green cabbage (I sliced in half, removed the cores, and THEN rinsed before cutting, in case dirt was trapped between the leaves.) I chopped them in about 1 to 1 1/2 inch squares/rectangles, just a rough chop. I wilted down the leaves so they would all fit; adding them a bit at a time gave room for them to shrink. I kept stirring until they were wilted down to about half their original volume.
Then I dumped in one 2 lb. package frozen hashbrowns (the kind that are just diced potatoes and something to keep them from browning.) Mixed them all up. Transferred to the crockpot.
Then I poured chicken broth over; I ended up using 7 cups (4 14 ounce cans.)
I did not salt because I prefer, when using such salty foods, to let people salt to taste.
I would have thrown in some caraway seed but apparently mine is lost... No clue where it is, I thought I had some but couldn't find it. :( If you do this, caraway seed would be good.
It will cook about 4 hours on High or 8 on Low, I think. Cabbage is one of the few veggies that takes well to long cooking; the longer you cook it the more tender and almost creamy it gets in texture. In a soup like this all the nutrients that leach out when you overcook veggies go right into the broth, so it doesn't really matter, they'll still be eaten. :) Definitely will need stirring before serving.
It will be served with Ukranian rye bread (dense and slightly dry, perfect with soup) and sour cream to dollop on top.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Tuesday 2/3: Chili and Cornbread
I made my standard "crockpot chili." Sometimes I make it without beef, in which case it is "food storage chili" because it uses only ingredients I keep in my shelf-stable food storage. It makes a huge batch; believe it or not, I actually always make this much, because it freezes well or will feed us all for about 5 days if kept in the fridge, and it is so easy. And it's not expensive, so why not do the work once for quite a few meals? I make it pretty mild, you can add more chili powder or red pepper or hot sauce as you like to up the heat level if desired.
Drain and rinse (until the water runs pink is good enough; it's not like 3 bean salad where you want it to run clear so it won't stain the other food) 3 27 ounce cans kidney beans (dark or light makes no difference; can also use 1 no. 10 can, which is what I usually do, I get them at Smart and Final, or you can cook dried; you shouldn't use dried straight in the crockpot unless you adjust the liquid accordingly, which I don't have room for since I'm making a huge batch but on the stove it's completely feasable, or if you have a working pressure canner, which I don't right now, you can can your own dried beans to make it even cheaper.) Dump them in the crockpot.
Add 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes and 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (for soupier chili; for more stew-like chili use 1 28 oz. and 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes), undrained.
Add 1 lb.-ish browned and drained ground beef (I did 4 lbs. all at once the other night, might as well; used 1/2 of it for the Nogales Pie and then used 1/2 of what was left tonight; the other part will be Hamburger Helper or something later in the week.)
Add about 1/2 cup dried diced onions, 1/4 cup dark chili powder, 2 Tbsp. cumin, and a shot (about a Tbsp.) of Worchestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrins, I just think it tastes better.)
Mix (I just use my hands for this...)
It will cook on Low for at least 6 hours. Ideally it would be stirred once or twice in there, but if not, just stir before serving.
To go with I made a pan (in a disposable cake pan so it doesn't have to come home) of Marie Callender's just-add-water cornbread mix. Yes, I am that lazy. It tastes great and they won't care (or probably know) it's not from scratch. And it's a lot less work and less messy than "real" cornbread (no eggshells, etc.) and tastes just as good! Plus it's shelf-stable too, I keep it as part of my food storage. It's an easy, tasty way to make a complete protein with the beans if you're going vegetarian (though of course it's not vegan.)
Drain and rinse (until the water runs pink is good enough; it's not like 3 bean salad where you want it to run clear so it won't stain the other food) 3 27 ounce cans kidney beans (dark or light makes no difference; can also use 1 no. 10 can, which is what I usually do, I get them at Smart and Final, or you can cook dried; you shouldn't use dried straight in the crockpot unless you adjust the liquid accordingly, which I don't have room for since I'm making a huge batch but on the stove it's completely feasable, or if you have a working pressure canner, which I don't right now, you can can your own dried beans to make it even cheaper.) Dump them in the crockpot.
Add 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes and 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (for soupier chili; for more stew-like chili use 1 28 oz. and 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes), undrained.
Add 1 lb.-ish browned and drained ground beef (I did 4 lbs. all at once the other night, might as well; used 1/2 of it for the Nogales Pie and then used 1/2 of what was left tonight; the other part will be Hamburger Helper or something later in the week.)
Add about 1/2 cup dried diced onions, 1/4 cup dark chili powder, 2 Tbsp. cumin, and a shot (about a Tbsp.) of Worchestershire sauce (I only use Lea & Perrins, I just think it tastes better.)
Mix (I just use my hands for this...)
It will cook on Low for at least 6 hours. Ideally it would be stirred once or twice in there, but if not, just stir before serving.
To go with I made a pan (in a disposable cake pan so it doesn't have to come home) of Marie Callender's just-add-water cornbread mix. Yes, I am that lazy. It tastes great and they won't care (or probably know) it's not from scratch. And it's a lot less work and less messy than "real" cornbread (no eggshells, etc.) and tastes just as good! Plus it's shelf-stable too, I keep it as part of my food storage. It's an easy, tasty way to make a complete protein with the beans if you're going vegetarian (though of course it's not vegan.)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday 1/27: Chicken Tortilla Soup
I used this recipe. My notes:
-I didn’t use shredded pre-roasted chicken. I had frozen chicken; I put the frozen pieces in a Pyrex bowl (2 small thighs and 2 large ½ boneless skinless breasts; I buy chicken when it’s cheap, de-skin if it has skin, wrap individually in waxed paper, and freeze, and these were “ends” of different packages I had in there), poured water in, seasoned with salt and pepper, covered with plastic wrap. Then I microwaved on high for 15 minutes, then let sit for ten. It came out perfectly poached. Instead of shredding I just did a rough dice. I figure it will fall apart cooking anyway.
-I forgot to get chicken broth when I was shopping at the big store. I walked with the kids to the little Armenian market but all they had was a tiny can; the recipe calls for about 3 of those. They were expensive (the American convenience foods tend to be expensive there; on the other hand, the meat, veggies, and imported brands are good and cheap) so I only got one. Poaching the chicken in the microwave solved my broth problem; I poured the liquid from the poaching out and got enough to equal about 2 more cans.
-I only found 2 decent tomatoes, and they were small, so I put those in and added an extra can of diced.
-I forgot to get an onion too. For once I’m out. So I used diced instead. I’m not worried because there’s extra liquid from the extra can of tomatoes.
-The store I went to didn’t have Anaheims in stock so I used Pasilla peppers instead. They have a similar heat level (mild) and are about the same size; the difference is that Anaheims are lighter green and have a brighter, slightly more bitter undertone while Pasillas are darker green and have a lower, muted fruitier undertone.
-I don’t keep Tobasco around and didn’t feel like buying it just for this. I upped the chipotle to a whole tsp. instead.
-While I was at it I doubled the cumin, because it just seemed like it could use more. (I really like cumin.)
-Since I was slicing the avocados ahead of time (and I did slice them, I think they look prettier that way than diced and also they maintain their integrity better in a bag) I put the juice of a lime in with them and shook around before sealing, in hopes they won’t turn completely brown.
-I also sliced up green onions in case anyone wants them. (Actually I did that the other day when I was doing the ones for the salad. Might as well do it all at once.)
I don’t usually like cilantro but I do like it in albondigas soup (ooh, that’s an idea; I bet I can do that in the crockpot!) and in curries, so since this recipe is almost a halfway point between those two flavors, I figured it will probably be good. If I get to taste any I’ll tell you!
This one is supposed to cook 5 hours on “High” but instead I will have him put it in right away for 4 hours on “High,” then it will go to “Warm” and they can get it whenever they are ready for dinner. The extra time on “Warm” should give it time for all the flavors to really meld.
Emma had fun helping me crush tortilla chips in a zipper bag. (I used about 2/3 of a bag. I was going to use those blue corn tortilla chips with flax seed in them for a little extra fiber, but the store I went to was out. So I just got the regular ones. She and Bridey also had fun helping “clean up” the avocado that got left in the skins when I scooped it out. ;)
-I didn’t use shredded pre-roasted chicken. I had frozen chicken; I put the frozen pieces in a Pyrex bowl (2 small thighs and 2 large ½ boneless skinless breasts; I buy chicken when it’s cheap, de-skin if it has skin, wrap individually in waxed paper, and freeze, and these were “ends” of different packages I had in there), poured water in, seasoned with salt and pepper, covered with plastic wrap. Then I microwaved on high for 15 minutes, then let sit for ten. It came out perfectly poached. Instead of shredding I just did a rough dice. I figure it will fall apart cooking anyway.
-I forgot to get chicken broth when I was shopping at the big store. I walked with the kids to the little Armenian market but all they had was a tiny can; the recipe calls for about 3 of those. They were expensive (the American convenience foods tend to be expensive there; on the other hand, the meat, veggies, and imported brands are good and cheap) so I only got one. Poaching the chicken in the microwave solved my broth problem; I poured the liquid from the poaching out and got enough to equal about 2 more cans.
-I only found 2 decent tomatoes, and they were small, so I put those in and added an extra can of diced.
-I forgot to get an onion too. For once I’m out. So I used diced instead. I’m not worried because there’s extra liquid from the extra can of tomatoes.
-The store I went to didn’t have Anaheims in stock so I used Pasilla peppers instead. They have a similar heat level (mild) and are about the same size; the difference is that Anaheims are lighter green and have a brighter, slightly more bitter undertone while Pasillas are darker green and have a lower, muted fruitier undertone.
-I don’t keep Tobasco around and didn’t feel like buying it just for this. I upped the chipotle to a whole tsp. instead.
-While I was at it I doubled the cumin, because it just seemed like it could use more. (I really like cumin.)
-Since I was slicing the avocados ahead of time (and I did slice them, I think they look prettier that way than diced and also they maintain their integrity better in a bag) I put the juice of a lime in with them and shook around before sealing, in hopes they won’t turn completely brown.
-I also sliced up green onions in case anyone wants them. (Actually I did that the other day when I was doing the ones for the salad. Might as well do it all at once.)
I don’t usually like cilantro but I do like it in albondigas soup (ooh, that’s an idea; I bet I can do that in the crockpot!) and in curries, so since this recipe is almost a halfway point between those two flavors, I figured it will probably be good. If I get to taste any I’ll tell you!
This one is supposed to cook 5 hours on “High” but instead I will have him put it in right away for 4 hours on “High,” then it will go to “Warm” and they can get it whenever they are ready for dinner. The extra time on “Warm” should give it time for all the flavors to really meld.
Emma had fun helping me crush tortilla chips in a zipper bag. (I used about 2/3 of a bag. I was going to use those blue corn tortilla chips with flax seed in them for a little extra fiber, but the store I went to was out. So I just got the regular ones. She and Bridey also had fun helping “clean up” the avocado that got left in the skins when I scooped it out. ;)
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