Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe another year has gone by so quickly. I am so excited for 2013 and all it has in store for me and Small Wallet, Big Appetite. This year I will begin content writing for a great parenting blog Mama.Mommy.Mom and I am so excited to join the team. I will also be undertaking another adventure that I want to share with you.
Let me start off by saying as a blogger one of the perks is that sometimes companies as your to review their products. This can be great for me and you the reader because it can introduce us to new products and items. I am very picky about what I do review and I try to make sure that the products fit with Small Wallet, Big Appetite. So when HooRag contacted me and asked me to review their tubular bandana my first thought was, this won’t fit. But I have big news for 2013 and it will involve having to wear something to keep my hair within health and safety guidelines so I thought this would be a fun way to announce it. First of all HooRag tubular bandanas are really cute and can be a simple way to keep your hair out of your face and gulp…food. I am not like my sisters in the way they can take things like a simple piece of fabric and somehow tie it up into their hair and have it look fabulous. I am what I call hair ignorant, my hair is either straight or in a pony tail, not very cute. So I had a lot of fun playing around with my new HooRag and trying out the different ways to do it.
So now the question is how does this tie into my news?
Have you guessed it?
Well I am finally taking a leap of faith and doing something I have only dreamed of. 2013 is going to be the year that I open a food stand in the market and hopefully that will one day lead to opening my own restaurant. My stall will serve Mexican Food, yes I am going to help teach Newbury what California Mexican food should taste like. i.e. it should NOT taste like those Old El Paso mixes.
Eek! I am both excited and terrified. I have never done anything like this before and there are so many things I need to do, including getting my food and safety certificate. And I have to say I am happy to know I can wear my cute HooRag instead of a hair net.
So in celebration of my news I thought I would share a dish I have been working on, Tortilla Soup. Tortilla Soup is one of those soups where everyone has their own version. I don’t think I have ever been to a restaurant or someone’s house where it was served the same way. I fell in love with a version that my aunt served us when she was living in Mexico and I have been working on adapting her recipe. It is going to be so much better when I can buy the right chilies wholesale but I have to say for not having the right chilies this soup turned out wonderful.
So once again Happy New Year from Small Wallet, Big Appetite. Thank you for joining in on the adventure in 2012 and I hope you will continue to enjoy the adventure in 2013.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
480mL (2 c.) Chicken stock
155g. (1 c.) whole corn kernels, cooked
10g (1/4 c.) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
sour cream
grated cheese *optional
1 can *Mexican Red Sauce*
or 3 Dried red ancho chili’s
water
In a medium stock pot add the dried chilies and cover with 480mL (2 c.) water. Boil until the dried chilies are soft. *The problem you encounter here in the UK is that we don’t have access to Mexican chilies. While it wasn’t the same I used 3 Indian hot dried chilies and 3 fresh red chilies. It is so much better if you can get the right kind of chilies for the dish you make but you have to do what you have to do.
Drain all but 240mL (1 c.) of the water. Add the reserved water and the chilies to a food processor and blend.
In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.
Stir in spices and stock. Strain your chili sauce through a sieve and add to the stock mixture.
Add raw chicken and bring to a boil, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink.
Remove chicken pieces and shred with a fork.
Put the chicken back to the soup and add corn and coriander (cilantro).
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado and a dollop of sour cream.
- 2 boneless chicken breast halves,
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 480mL (2 c.) Chicken stock
- 155g. (1 c.) whole corn kernels, cooked
- 10g (1/4 c.) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- crushed tortilla chips
- sliced avocado
- sour cream
- grated cheese*optional
- 1 can *Mexican Red Sauce*
- or 3 Dried red ancho chili's
- water
- In a medium stock pot add the dried chilies and cover with 480mL (2 c.) water. Boil until the dried chilies are soft. *The problem you encounter here in the UK is that we don’t have access to Mexican chilies. While it wasn’t the same I used 3 Indian hot dried chilies and 3 fresh red chilies. It is so much better if you can get the right kind of chilies for the dish you make but you have to do what you have to do.
- Drain all but 240mL (1 c.) of the water. Add the reserved water and the chilies to a food processor and blend.
- In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft.
- Stir in spices and stock.
- Strain your chili sauce through a sieve and add to the stock mixture.
- Add raw chicken and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink.
- Remove chicken pieces and shred with a fork.
- Put the chicken back to the soup and add corn and coriander (cilantro).
- Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado and a dollop of sour cream.