November 2009 Recipe of the Month

By Paula Hendricks - Nutritionist on November 5, 2009

 Chicken Fiesta Soup – Makes 4 Two-Cup Servings

Another Hendricks family favorite!  We love the spicy flavor of this low carb hearty soup when the weather turns cool.  If you have a large family or want left-overs, I recommend doubling the recipe.  For those of you on the VLCD who are keeping your daily carbohydrate count at 20 grams, the carbohydrate count in this soup is approximately 15grams of net carbs per serving.  

 Ingredients for soup:

• One pound uncooked chicken breasts or breast tenders, diced into bite-sized pieces before cooking
• One 8 oz can tomato sauce
• One 14.5 oz can diced petite-cut tomatoes (you can choose plain, with jalapenos or zesty mild green chilies)
• One 7 oz can diced green chilies
• Two-three cans 14.5 oz chicken broth
• One cup diced onions
• Two garlic cloves, minced
• Two tablespoons olive oil (you can also use a vegetable oil)
• One tablespoon chili powder
• Two cups Juanita brand Mexican style hominy, drained (only brand with 4 net carbs per ½ cup serving)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

 Optional toppings:

• A sprinkle of 2% reduced fat Mexican-style shredded cheese by Kraft, about 1 tablespoon
• Diced fresh avocado, about 1 tablespoon
• A dollop of light sour cream, about 1 teaspoon
• Finely diced fresh green onions, about 1 tablespoon
• Pinch of dried oregano

 Instructions:

 1.      In small non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil; heat.  Add the chili powder and mix with oil thoroughly.  Continue mixing until chili turns dark, about 2 minutes.  Mix in one more tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  Add minced garlic and the tomato sauce.  Stir and cook for another minute.  Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies.  Mix together and turn off heat.

2.      In a large soup pot over medium heat, add the diced chicken, hominy and chicken broth.  Transfer the tomato mixture into the soup pot and mix contents together. 

3.      Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes.  Add the cumin and oregano.   Reduce heat and simmer for another 15-30 minutes.   The longer you simmer the soup, the tastier it gets.  Add another can of chicken broth, or some water, if you think the soup is too thick.

4.      When ready to serve, ladle a serving into a soup bowl and add any of the optional toppings listed above.

Nutritional Value:  Each two-cup serving, without toppings, contains approximately 325 calories, 35 grams of protein, 9 grams of fat and 15 grams of net carbohydrates.

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