Category Archives: Soups

Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

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I’ve started yet another writing class.  This one is specifically geared towards blog writing.  If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you know that I struggle (or downright ignore) trying to connect the introduction (this part) and the actual recipe I’ve created.  Anyone in the blogging world knows this is a mortal sin, yet I lack any desire to blather on about the benefits of store-bought rotisserie chicken (although it CAN be a time-saver, especially in a soup like this one). 

I have a suspicion I’m taking this class hoping for validation – from the instructor, from my fellow bloggers – that, although not orthodox to mismatch intro and recipe, it’s my damn blog and I can do whatever I want. I know I don’t need outside validation, but a bit of encouragement doesn’t hurt now and then. 

Our first assignment is determining our target audience, aka my ideal reader.  What’s her name? What’s she like? What does she do?  Where does she read my blog?  WHY does she read my blog? Essentially, who is my muse? [Side Note:  I HAD a muse for a number of years, but his presence in my life became problematic and I’ve had to move on.]

My new muse is Chloe.  Chloe is 35, a struggling photographer living in a loft in our suburban “downtown” arts district.  She’s got time on her hands – time to cook real meals for real friends.  Her dining table is a wobbly Ikea purchase covered with an old sarong.  Her chairs are mismatched; the wine glasses too – gorgeous pale pink and green thrift-store finds.  She spends her money on antique costume jewelry and the finest chocolates she can get her hands on.  She loves my sweet vermouth and I bring her a bottle often.

Chloe and I meet every week for coffee at a cozy shop two blocks from her loft that always smells of yeast and freshly roasted beans.  We’re bored with the same conversations everyone is having – about how they’re surviving COVID distancing, about what their kids are up to, about their latest intermittent fasting diet or doctor’s visit.  So, Chloe and I decided we each must bring two things to our coffee dates – an interesting story that happened during the week (or, if the event wasn’t interesting, the story must be entertaining) and our newest recipe.  We share over our cappuccinos.

Ta-Da! And just like that – justification for this mismatched blog.

This soup recipe is my last installment in the “Soup Sundays” series.  Over the next few days, I’ll be thumbing through my collection of recipes deciding what’s up next for November.  As always, I’ll be baking – it IS the beginning of the holiday season, after all, but my cholesterol level needs a hiatus from my holy trinity diet of butter, sugar and flour.  A carrot now and again isn’t a bad thing. 


Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

Copious amounts of lime give an added twist to this easy soup. Store-bought rotisserie chicken keeps it fuss-free.


Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 3 corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 teaspoons diced chipotles in adobo (found in the Hispanic section of most markets)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 14-oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry tortilla strips until golden. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
  2. In a large saucepan, sauté bell pepper and onion until softened and beginning to turn golden in spots. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chipotles, cumin, and tomatoes with juice and combine. Add chicken stock, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until vegetables are soft.
  3. Add chicken, cilantro, oregano and lime juice and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve soup sprinkled with tortilla strips.

Classic Pea Soup

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She came to me in a dream…and had all the answers.

Do you ever have those dreams that impart so much truth, wisdom, and clarity that you commit to remembering every bit upon waking? 

I had one of those dreams the other night – the message was relevant and so dreadfully important.  The key to my happiness was locked in its meaning.  If I could remember, my life would transform. As I stirred from sleep, the details scattered from my mind like raindrops flung from my opening eyelashes.  Oh, the horror!  Of course, securing life’s answer is never that simple.  

I’ve been talking with a friend lately about metamorphosis and transformation.  Why do we confine ourselves to be the person we have scripted?  I’ve spoken before about our personal “story” – the story that we’ve concocted to describe ourselves…something to put behind the “I.”  “I am this,” “I do that,” and “I like those.” When we do so, we conscribe our own possibilities.

So, what did my dream have to tell me?  Alas, the details are gone, but snippets are still fluttering in my mind.  My dream was about things that hold us back from true transformation – from radically changing our story. 

  • Fear of failure
  • Fear of success – “who am I to deserve this?”
  • Idleness – why bother, I’m content where I am
  • Comfort in the known – transformation is inherently uncomfortable
  • Morals, values and laws that may no longer apply, serve a purpose, or be correct – society’s and our own personal beliefs
  • The opinion of others
  • The energy to make it happen – with barely the strength to get through the week, how do we find the strength to transform?

If we can overcome these obstacles, then true, lasting, profound change can be ours, but that, my friend, is a difficult road.

The key to everlasting happiness may be elusive,  but a bowl of comforting and fleeting happiness can be found in this hearty and soul-satisfying pea soup.  Enjoy!


Classic Pea Soup

  • Servings: Serves 6-8
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Enjoy this hearty, smoky, classic pea soup on a chilly fall evening with crusty bread and a simple pear salad.


Ingredients

  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 cups dried green split peas
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 smoked ham hock
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
  • Sour cream (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until the onions are soft. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Add the split peas and stir to combine. Add the broth and the ham hock and bring to a boil.
  2. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. If soup is too thick, add a little more broth. The soup is ready when the peas are soft, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
  3. Transfer the ham onto a cutting board and let cool slightly. Remove the meat from the bones, shred, and stir back into the soup (discard the bones and any skin). Remove bay leaves and season with salt, pepper and finish with white vinegar. To serve, dollop with sour cream (if using).