Chicken Tortilla, Chicken Tortilla, Chicken Tortilla Soup!

It's D-Feast Friday time!

I admit that some days are just too packed with after school activities.  Yesterday was one of those days.

After working all morning on the computer, my dried-up, blurry eyes couldn't take it anymore.  So, I closed up shop and moved on to the laundry...oh joy.  And in between loads I began preparing, what I call, "real" chicken!  Not from a can (I'm guilty of using canned chicken at times...) and not pre-cooked, pre-packaged.  6 honest-to-goodness breasts of raw chicken, bone-in and everything.  I was feeling almost victorious over the day already.  The chicken was roasting and I gathered the other ingredients for...chicken tortilla soup.

Now, we live in Southern California.  So the first inkling of cool weather is cause for celebration and the return of wonderful, stress-free, crock pot cooking!  It's been cold and cloudy the past few days (okay, low 70s is cold for us!)  The family started suggesting a bunch of our favorites.  Chicken tortilla soup seemed to dominate the conversation the night before.  So...soup was on!

It's soooo simple and soooo delicious.  It's low-fat and filling.  It's great as a leftover the next couple days too!  The whole family has learned to love it as much as I do.  My mantra holds true and this recipe is proof:  "Serve it, and they will eat it."  (Now, it may take a dozen times, but they WILL learn to love it!)

And, although our afternoon turned crazy with all our activities...in fact, we didn't get home until 6:45 pm...at least dinner was ready and waiting for us.  On the way home, everybody asked, "What's for dinner?"

"Chicken tortilla soup," I said.

And the chanting began:  "Chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla soup!...Chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla, chicken tortilla soup!"

Yes.  They love it!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 large jar of chunky salsa
1 can black beans, drained/rinsed
1 can corn, drained/rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
32 oz. water
2-3 large chicken breasts, cooked/chopped

Dump all ingredients into crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for longer.  We like to place tortilla chips on the bottom of the bowl, scoop over the soup and top with grated cheese.  It's so yummy.

Now, I'm sure you could use different ingredients.  Experiment...and enjoy!

(As for the carb count...we count the chips for C and that's it!  She doesn't get much of the corn or beans in a small bowl.)

Pasta Fazool

The wonder child of Lorraine, Elizabeth and Karen!

I am happy to be participating in the First (Weekly?) D-Feast Friday!!  It's a day for us to come together and share a recipe, diabetes-friendly or not, and walk away with a slew of new recipes to try!  So, without further adieu...

Pasta Fazool

Now, this is a staple meal in our home and has been, long before diabetes entered the picture.  But what's so great about it is that it really works great with C's blood sugars.  And, as anyone who deals with a faulty pancreas can tell you, usually pasta is one of those foods that misbehaves.  Because this recipe is balanced with beans, the fiber can actually be subtracted out of the total carb count.  Hence, making it a more manageable meal, bloodsugar-wise.

Some of you might be more familiar with it's other name:  Pasta Fagioli.  It's kind of like a pasta/bean soup.  My dear mother-in-law taught me how to make it.  In fact, when each of the grandkids were old enough (11-12), she taught each of them how to make it too.  Unfortunately, she is no longer with us to teach our kids.  I have already taught my oldest and now middle C is next in line.

When I was still a newlywed, she brought a bag full of groceries to our little apartment and showed me exactly what to do.  It's a challenge for me to write it down because it really does help to see it done.  But, I'll try!

Ingredients:

2 (15 oz.) cans of Great Northern or white beans
+ 2 cans of water
1/2 can (4 oz.) of tomato sauce
+ 1 can of water
3 T. olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaping T. oregano, crushed between palms
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 c. ditalini pasta
1/2 c. spaghetti, broken into 1 " pieces
chopped onion for garnish (optional)

*Keep a couple cans of water near stove in case you need to add to pot when pasta is boiling.

Heat all ingredients (except pastas) in large pot to a gentle boil.  Turn down to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn heat up to boiling again and add pastas...stirring every few minutes so that the pasta does not stick.  Gently boil for 10-12 minutes.  At 10 minutes, check the ditalini for done-ness.  If, during boiling, mixture becomes too thick, add water.  It should stay at a thick, soupy, consistency.  (I like it thinner and usually add water when it's done.  This cools it down a bit too.)

That's it!  My kids love it and ask for it regularly.  I wish I had a picture of it to share.  But it's been so hot that I haven't made it recently.

It serves 6-8.

After much trial and error, I have finally found that counting a 1/2 cup serving as 10 grams of carbohydrates works well for C.  But, please do your own calculations from the bean label and pasta packages.  The great thing is...you can subtract out the 7 grams of fiber per serving from the carbs!

Enjoy!  And, Happy D-Feast Friday!!