Simple South of the Border Soup

Did you catch that title? Simple? That's what I need. When it is nearing 100 degrees outside, I don't want anything complicated in the kitchen. I know, salads are easy, but I am getting tired of salads. I stayed in today, and really wanted some Mexican food. A little time at the stove was alright. Just a little. I get jealous of those 6 can soup recipes. Just open some cans, dump stuff in, then a few minutes on a burner and you are done. But I don't do canned beans and canned corn. Bummer. But then a thought...

The Diner News theme this month is foods that beat the heat. I had purchased some canned chicken breast for those recipes...mostly chicken salads. Gotta admit, it is awfully convenient to have pre-cooked chicken. Even if you lose a little texture in the process. (Or, you might be "Diner" smart and have a package of pre-cooked chicken cubes in the freezer. That would be great too.) The thought was--soup would be a great option for canned chicken. Mexican inspired soup. Yes! And I just happened to have a can of fire roasted salsa style tomatoes that was calling my name. Extra good because someone else did the fire roasting. Probably could have done that on the hood of my car, with the heat today!

This is the soup I came up with. It is very versatile. Go ahead and clean out the fridge a bit. I like the riced cauliflower I added. It was a lot like rice in the soup. I like to keep some of that on hand in the freezer, do you? I have blogged about that before. Since you are going to have to clean the food processer anyway, might as well be smart and process a big batch of "caulirice" everytime you make some.

The tomatoes are worth looking for. Mine came from Aldi. They really do have a kick! I suppose you could use plain fire roasted tomatoes. You could use a Rotel type tomato base. You could use fresh tomatoes, but you will have more time at the stove. You could even use plain diced tomatoes, but you will miss all that flavor from the peppers and onions. So think long and hard.


Simple South of the Border Soup

3/4 cup finely chopped cauliflower

12 oz can chicken breast

14.5 oz can Fire Roasted Salsa-style Tomatoes 

14.5 oz water or chicken broth

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning blend (may sub garlic and oregano)

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 tsp sour cream

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Cook cauliflower in the microwave and chop finely. (or use pre-cooked cauliflower rice)

Combine chicken, tomatoes, water, cauliflower, chili powder, cumin, adobo seasoning and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with a tsp sour cream and  2 tsp cilantro.

Serves 3:  177 calories  7 net g carb

This recipe made 3 servings. That might seem odd, but it works out great to have a bowl to take for lunch later in the week. Always thinking ahead, right?

Some may ask why eat hot pepper in hot weather? Well, there is actually scientific evidence that spicy food has a cooling effect on the body. It can also help speed up metabolism. Sounds like it is still a good thing to me. Stay cool!

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