Poor Man's French Onion Soup

The only thing you have to be careful with in this recipe is the amount of salt you use. The beef bouillon is already loaded with sodium. French onion soup is traditionally made with Gruyere cheese but most of us don't have this lying around so you can use Parmesan or Mozzarella. If you use Parmesan, go extremely light with it since it is already so salty.

Ingredients
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 small onion sliced into thin strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
Gruyere Cheese
Toasted french bread ( You can also use left over buns that have been toasted)

Heat butter and oil in a medium pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until onions are starting to caramelize (turn brown). Remove from heat. Some an even amount of mixture into serving cups or bowls. In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add bouillon cubes and stir until the are dissolved. Pour broth into serving dishes. Do not add bread until right before serving. It will start to break down. Place toasted bread or bun on the top of the bowl and cover with cheese. Heat from the soup will help melt the cheese.

White Bean Chili

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 cup diced onion

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper 

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

2 15-ounce cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chicken, cumin, white pepper and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook, until they are slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
Add the chiles and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the beans and cook for another 10 minutes.

Taco CHOUP

I call this a CHOUP because it's a little thicker then a soup but not as thick as a chili. This can be made with beef or with chicken. It is relatively low in fat; especially the chicken version.

Ingredients
 2 poblano peppers or 1 small can diced green chilies
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb of ground beef or 1lb diced chicken breast, uncooked
1 package spicy taco seasoning
1 package spicy ranch dip mix
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can black beans, drained
1 140z can pinto beans, drained
1 140z can corn, drained
1 carton beef stock or chicken stock
1 cup uncooked minute rice


If your using the poblanos, broil them in the oven or put on the grill and char them on all sides. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 5 minutes. This will allow them to steam so that the skin comes right off. After 5 minutes, peel peppers by taking a paper towel and wiping the skin off. Chop peppers. Saute onions, bell pepper and poblano (or canned chilies) for about 3 minutes. Add meat and sprinkle with half the package of taco seasoning. Allow meat to brown. Add tomatoes, all beans and corn. Add the rest of the taco seasoning and the ranch dip mix. Mix and add stock. If your using beef, then add beef stock vice  versa for the chicken. From here, you decide how thick or thin you would like your choup. Add water to thin out. Bring choup to a boil and then drop down heat to medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add rice and simmer until rice is cooked. I like to put my BEST guacamole on top when serving.