Love for Food

I bought a slow cooker a few years ago to make corned beef for St. Patty's day. In about three years I've only used it twice. While you can leave it and forget it, there is a lot of prep work to be done before you can leave it. It's not something I would use on a weekday to come home and have dinner ready. I don't wake up early enough to start browning meat before I leave for work. Soo why not just you a pot?

Since it's been taking up a lot of space, I decided to try to get more use of it. I got the The New Slow Cooker book from Williams Sonoma which gives updated ideas using the old stand by. I love chicken soup but sometimes it can get a bit boring. This version has a lot of flavors and textures going on. The broth is spicy (depending on your amount of jalapenos) and the corn is sweet, the avocado is fresh, cheese is salty and the Fritos add a great crunch. The Fritos do add some additional fat and calories but I only put four or so on top of my bowl. Traditionally, it is served with tortilla strips cut up and fried. Tortilla chips will also work but I think Fritos are the best option.I tried the soup as is and you really need the Fritos, cotija, and avocado for a WOW taste factor. Besides even with all those goodies it's still only 9 WW points plus per serving. One serving keeps me nice and full even at dinner time, due to all the chicken.

By the way Cotija is a Mexican cheese and is slightly hard, sharp, salty, and does not melt well. I live in El Barrio aka Spanish Harlem so I had no problems finding it. In case you can't find it you can use feta as a substitute.

The cost to make this soup is a little high (compared to most soups) but I really enjoyed it and think it's worth the extra time and money. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Serves Six
2 pounds of skinless w/bone chicken thighs
4 1/2 cups of chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 (15oz) can of tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons Cotija cheese (or feta)
1 small bag of Fritos (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
salt/pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 avocadoscilantro (for garnish)
2 cups frozen (or fresh) corn

Method:

• In a food processor, mix tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, garlic, onion, and one cup of broth.
• Put the mixture in a slow cooker along with the rest of the broth, cumin, bay leafs, and chicken.
• Cook on low for five hours.
• Remove chicken and shred put chicken back in the slow cooker.
• Add corn and cook for 30 more minutes.
• Season to taste with salt/pepper.
• Serve with 1/4 an avacado cut up in the soup, 1 tablespoon of Cotija cheese crumbled on top, a couple of fritos and some cliantro.

Nutrition Facts: Amount Per Serving
330 Calories
18.7 Fat
23.1 Carbs
4.1 Fiber
21.3 Protein

Weight Watcher Points +: 9 points per serving