Too tired to cook

It's a combination of the holidays and entering the third trimester but by about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, I'm exhausted.  Dinner has been pretty sad lately . . . turkey sandwiches, canned soup, Rainforest Cafe, Caesar salad from a bag with spaghetti from a jar . . . I know my family deserves healthier food and I'm turning back to my slow cooker.   For me, this soup is right up there with the White Chicken Chili - I love it and the leftovers disappear pretty quickly.

This is the combination of a few recipes - one from my sister in law where she makes it with rotisserie chicken on the stove top.  If you want to sub the chicken breast for cooked chicken, you can do the whole thing on the stove and only cook it for about a half hour.   This version take a bit longer but then I can make dinner while I still have a little energy.

Hope you enjoyed your holidays as much as we enjoyed ours - Happy New Year!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
(6 servings)

For the slow cooker:
1 lb chicken breast
15 oz can sweet whole corn kernels, drained
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can diced tomatoes (Mexican style with green chiles)
5 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, minced or small can chopped green chiles (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
salt
pepper

For topping the soup:
chopped cilantro
shredded jack cheese
avocado, diced
4 corn tortillas
olive oil spray

Add the slow cooker ingredients to your slow cooker.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat.  Season with a little more salt and pepper. Return to the slow cooker.  Sometimes I also squeeze a lime into the soup at this point and adjust the seasonings (usually for me, that means more heat - red pepper flakes, tabasco etc).

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.  Cut the corn tortillas in half and then in strips.  Put them on a single layer on the baking sheet.  Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt.  Cook for 5-10 minutes or until light brown and crunchy.

Top bowls of soup with tortilla strips, a little avocado, some cheese and cilantro.