Tico Taco Soup

Lately we have been craving some of the Taco Soup I used to make in Texas. Almost all of the ingredients were prepackaged and it was simple to pull together. Today, I decided it was time to check out the local supermarket and see just what is available in prepackaged foods for substitutions. I found workable replacements, but I had to come up with my own "Taco Seasoning Mix." I used our house chili powder as the base, since this is the recipe that won the People Choice Award in a Chili Cook-Off just a few days ago.

Ingredients:
½ kilo, or 1 pound of ground beef
1 medium onion diced
1 medium sweet pepper diced
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground smoked Spanish paprika
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Chili Powder de la Casa (click on link for recipe)
1 - 15.5 ounce can of white beans
1 - 20 ounce can of black beans
1 - 20 ounce can of red beans
1 - 20 ounce can of chick peas (garbanzo beans)
1 - 15.5 ounce can of corn kernels
1 - 15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste

Yield ~ 8 servings

Directions:
Brown meat with onions and peppers in a fry pan and drain grease. Add all of the spices and mix well. Transfer the seasoned meat to a stock pot. Add all the canned beans, corn and tomatoes. Stir until well blended. Heat over medium/low temperature until thoroughly heated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and grated cheddar cheese. This is also great with a little "Pico de Gallo" and chopped cilantro. Try making some Corny Jalapeño Skillet Corn Bread to serve on the side.

Tex Mex

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Texas Ranch Beans

Ingredients:
1 pound or ½ kilo of dried pinto beans
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
¼ cup salt free chili powder
1 tablespoon of fresh minced oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Soak the beans covered in water with the baking soda overnight. You can also use the quick method if you are sort on time. Put the beans in a large pot, cover them with water. The water should be an inch, or two above the level of the beans. Bring the beans to a quick boil, remove them from the heat, stir in the baking soda, and cover them for an hour.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pot. Sauté the diced onions in oil for a few minutes; until they are transparent. Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute. Stir in the oregano. If you have an immersion blender, add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, chili powder and water to the pot and puree until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the onions, garlic and oregano to a conventional blender, and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, chili powder and water and puree until smooth and pour the mixture back in the large pot.

Drain the soaked beans.

Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot. Using high heat, bring the pot to a full boil, then cover. Lower the temperature to a slow simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Check the beans for tenderness. Depending on the freshness of the beans, the cooking time will vary from 2 to 4 hours. When they reach the desired tenderness, add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serves: 4 to 6

Beans

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Black Beans

Ingredients:
2 cups (about ½ kilo or 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pork bone with plenty of meat, or a ham hock, about ½ kilo (1 pound)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium sweet pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups water
2 chicken bullion cubes
6-8 sprigs of fresh cilantro (culantro)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Soak the beans in a large bowl overnight. In a 6-quart pot pour in 3 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork bone/ham hock, onions, and peppers and cook until the onions peppers are wilted and the pork is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. (If you like celery, you can even add some diced celery to the onions and peppers to make a really nice sofrito.) Throw in the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Drain the beans and add them to the pot, giving them give a good stir. Pour in the water and add the bullion cubes and cilantro. Cover the pot and bring the beans to a boil. Then let them simmer for about 2½ hours. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper. If the beans are underdone, simmer them with the lid off until tender. Pick meat from the bone, dice it and add it back to the beans; discarding the bone. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: You can make these beans in a pressure cooker without soaking in about 25 minutes. You just need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to keep the pressure release valve from clogging.

Beans

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Gallo Pinto

"Gallo Pinto" is a typical Costa Rican breakfast dish. It is generally accompanied by fried eggs, meat and sometimes with a side of fried ripe plantain (Platano Maduro).

Ingredients:
2 cups Rice (pre-cooked/leftovers)
1 cup Black Beans (pre-cooked/leftovers)
2 cloves Garlic minced
½ cup Onion diced
¼ cup Sweet Peppers diced
¼ cup Celery diced
Cilantro
Salsa Lizano
Tabasco

Saute garlic, onion, sweet peppers and celery in a large skillet. Add cooked rice and stir until throughly heated. Add beans (with or without broth) and stir until throughly heated. Add Salsa Lizano and Tabasco to taste and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.

Serves: 4

Rice

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Taco Soup

This soup is always a big hit for supper in the colder months. It can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and it's yummy with some corn bread or tortillas. Even though you may find an ingredient you don't normally like, you will be pleasantly surprised at how good this tastes when everything is combined.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground hamburger meat or ground turkey
1 can Pinto or Black Beans (I use one can of each)
1 can Great Northern Beans or Navy Beans
1 can Whole Kernal Corn
1 can Hominy (I know what you're thinking, but trust me for the tortilla taste)
2 cans diced Tomatoes with Chiles (Ro-Tel)
1 package Taco Seasoning
1 package dry Ranch Dressing Mix

Optional:
Sauté 1 cup diced onions and 1 cup diced sweet peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil before you add the meat.

Directions:
Brown ground meat; add ingredients from each can including liquid; add taco mix and ranch dressing mix; stir all ingredients until well combined and simmer about 20 minutes until hot through and through. You can add water to taste - not required but it will make a more soupy dish.

Serving suggestion: Try topping with a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, a little diced onion and some chopped cilantro just before serving.

Turkey

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