Green Chile Enchilada Soup

One Delicious Soup

In what may be the last “super cold” blast of early 2020 for Central Texas we’ve already made 4 batches of this soup! #ThatGood

Not only is this soup easy to make, it’s a lower carb keto-friendly soup that’s wonderfully creamy with just the right amount of heat, thanks to our ol’ friend the hatch green chili — perfect for warming up cold days and nights!

Time To Prepare:

About 30 minutes.

Foodie Tips:

❤  You can dial up or dial down the heat of this soup by using your tried and true ingredients. To get you started I’ve included suggested items below that I found at my neighborhood H-E-B.

❤  You can enjoy this soup served from a bowl but I also enjoy it from a mug where I can consume it faster.

❤  Lover of the chilis? Don’t miss out on our Hatch-Chicken Mac n’ Cheese recipe that will have you weak in the knees.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tablespoons  |  Olive Oil (Or Avocado Oil)
2-3 Pounds  |  Boneless Chicken Breast, Sautéd Then Cubed
2 Cans (15 Ounces Each)  |  Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce With Roasted Garlic (or without roasted garlic)
2 Cans (14.5 Ounces Each)  |  Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Cup  |  Half & Half
2-3 Cups  |  White Cheese, Shredded (Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack)
½ Cup |  Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Room Temperature, Cubed
½ – 1 Cup |  Green Salsa (Central Market Hatch Green Chile Salsa Verde works great)
To Taste  |  Kosher Salt And Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
To Garnish  |  Your Favorites: More Shredded Cheese, Cubed Avocado, Chopped Cilantro, Green Onion Tops, Chopped Tomatoes,

What To Do:

1. Prepare The Chicken: In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken and sauté the chicken until done (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pot, cool, cube and set aside

2. Back In The Pot We Go: Add the cubed chicken back to the pot and add the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, half & half, shredded cheese, the cubed cream cheese, salsa verde. Warm everything up until things are melty good (about 10 minutes).

3. The Finishing Touch: Salt and pepper to your liking. Spoon into bowls (or mugs) and garnish with your favorite ingredients (ideas shown above).

Enjoy this green chili enchilada soup – it’s a family favorite!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

The Best Chicken Sandwich Recipe

A Sensationally Savory Sandwich

When you pair the best cheddary-cheesy biscuit with the best chicken nugget, great things happen. Let’s dive on in!

Time To Prepare:

About 30-45 minutes

Foodie Tips:

❤  You can bake the chicken strips in the oven but the instructions below are for an air fryer. An air fryer cooks quicker than the oven and crispier than both the microwave or the oven – it’s my favorite kitchen appliance!

❤  While I highly recommend the cheddar biscuits below you can substitute your own favorite biscuit.

❤  What are the benefits of using tapioca flour? You just found them!

Ingredients:

for the biscuits:
1 Package  |  Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix
¾ Cup  |  Cold Water
½ Cup  |  Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
⅓ Cup  |  Butter, Softened (I use unsalted Falfurrias)
1 Pouch  |  Garlic Herd Blend (included with mix)

for the chicken:
2 Pounds  |  Boneless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Biscuit-Sized Pieces
¼ Cup  |  Dill Pickle Juice
1  |  Cage Free Egg, Beaten
2 Tablespoons  |  Coconut Milk
¼ Cup  |  Tapioca Flour
1 Tablespoon  |  Paprika
1 Teaspoon  |  Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon  |  Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon  |  Garlic Powder
Dash  |  Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon  |  Vegetable Oil
To Serve (Optional)   |  Lettuce, Thinly-Sliced Tomato, Pickles
To Serve (Optional)  |  Condiments (Honey Mustard, Ketchup, Mayonnaise)

What To Do:

1. Let’s brine the chicken by placing the chicken and dill pickle juice into a Ziploc bag. Marinate these in the fridge for about an hour.

2. Prepare the biscuit dough according to the package directions. Scoop them onto a greased baking pan and set aside. I use a 3 Tablespoon sized OXO cookie scoop which makes forming the perfect-sized biscuits a snap!

3. Preheat your oven to 425°F – this is for the biscuits – not the chicken.

4. Remove the chicken from the fridge and discard the pickle juice. Add the beaten egg and coconut milk to the bag and let everything mingle for 5-10 minutes. Discard the excess liquid and set aside.

5. Combine the dry ingredients (the tapioca flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper) in a medium-sized bowl. Add this dry mix to the bag of chicken and mix everything together until well combined.

6. Place the biscuits in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. While the biscuits are baking…

7. …Pour 1 Tablespoon of oil into the bottom of the air fryer. Then place your coated chicken into your air fryer basket and set it to 400°F for about 10-12 minutes, flipping the chicken at the midway mark.

8. To serve remove the biscuits from the oven. Slice them in half and top with chicken. Dress your chicken sandwich with your favorite toppings and enjoy! (I used my homemade honey mustard, lettuce, and mayo as shown. I would have used tomato but I was out!) Ketchup would be an easy substitute. :) 

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaulReider.KW.com

Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe

Tomato Bread Soup

Found during my family’s holiday travel to Tuscany, this recipe makes great use of a household staple living beyond its freshest of days; stale bread. The end result? A delicious dish that will warm the belly. And the heart.

This recipe was inspired by Gabriella’s Journal; a book celebrating aromas and flavors from the rustic culture of Tuscany.

Foodie Tip:

❤  If you don’t have any 2-3 day old stale bread, you can cut fresh bread into bite-sized squares and place into your oven and bake at 225°F until crunchy. Do not use soft bread for this recipe!

Ingredients: 

6 Tablespoons  |  Olive Oil
2-3  |  Garlic Cloves, Cut Into Small Pieces
1  |  Celery Stick, Chopped Into Small Pieces
3-4 (1 ¾ cups)  |  Fresh Tomatoes, Chopped (tomatoes may also be peeled)
6-8  |  Basil Leaves, Torn By Hand Into Small Pieces
To Taste  |  Salt And Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
2 ¼ Cups  |  Boiling Water
1 ½-2 Cups  |  Stale Bread, Cut Into Bite-Sized Squares
To Garnish  |  A Fresh Basil Leaf For Each Serving
To Garnish  |  Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, Shredded

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the oil, the garlic cloves and the chopped celery. Stir until the garlic is soft and add the chopped tomatoes, the basil leaves, salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.

2. Pour in the boiling water and fold-in the stale bread. Boil, covered, for about 40 minutes over a very low heat, gently stirring occasionally.

3. Serve soup hot in a bowl and top with a basil leaf and some shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Yields: 3-4 Servings

Love this recipe? We want to hear from you!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes!

Great Entertaining : Raclette Style

“Raclette … Whaaat?”

“Raclette” is derived from the French word for racler, meaning “to scrape.” Modern day raclette refers to a classic Swiss dish where cheese is melted under an electric broiler then scraped and topped on a wide variety of ingredients, traditionally roasted potatoes, cornichons (tiny pickles) and onions. My raclette machine has a granite top that – when heated – serves as a grill plus it has 8 removable toaster trays that rest under a broiler to cook the accompaniments, like melted cheese. Check out my suggested ingredients below! 

Raclette In Action

Going out on the town is always fun, but hosting small gatherings in your own home served with a stylish and unforgettable presentation of food makes for priceless memories and great times – that’s why entertaining is one of my passions! We love inviting friends and family over to enjoy fun and unique dining experiences enjoyed at home. Our raclette machine is always a big hit as the centerpiece of many fun indoor grilling gatherings.

Let’s watch a brief video of the racelette experience:

Why Raclette Will Make You A Hero

Like fondue, raclette is best enjoyed as a social eating experience. We like to jazz things up and make a big spread of all kinds of veggies, meats and seafood so our guests can get creative … and they do! The culinary combinations are entertaining, endless and delicious.

A Few Of Our Favorite Raclette Ingredients …

• Cheese: Fontina, Raclette, Gruyere, Provolone (any melting cheese!)
• Meats: Bacon, Prosciutto, Thinly-Sliced Filet Mignon, Shrimp, Lil’ Smokies
• Veggies: Asparagus, Sliced Bell Peppers, Fingerling Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Onions, Zucchini
• Sweets: Apples, Bananas, Pineapple
• Sidekicks: Butter, Olive Oil, Pesto, Olives, Bread, Mini Fillo Shells, Seasonings, Wine + Your Favorite Friends And Family

From sweet to savory – once you’ve gathered your ingredients let your inner foodie’s creativity guide your meal: Melted cheese and onion topped on prosciutto, apples with gooey cheese on top, grilled shrimp with bacon, and one self-proclaimed masterpiece we created called “bananas fauxster” – sliced bananas sprinkled with brown sugar, butter, Texas pecans and then toasted. The recipe for this sweet delight is below!

A Few More Raclette Tips

Since you cook-as-you-go when you raclette, it’s usually a fun process that can easily last an hour to several. We like to start with veggies and savory meats … take a break then have a delightful dismount with the sweets.

Mini Fillo/Phyllo Shells were one of my favorite unexpected discoveries. You can find them here in Austin in the freezer section at HEB. They require no defrosting; simply fill the cups with your favorite ingredients and toast them for a few minutes and you’ve made crispy, melty magic. One of my fillo favorites is to pour a bit of Fischer & Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce into the cup then top with a  wedge of melting cheese. Place your dish in your toaster tray under the raclette grill’s lower level. When it toasts up, it’s a-ma-zing!

You’ll undoubtedly have leftover ingredients after the big meal. We tossed small potatoes, onions and veggies into our silicon egg rings, topped with eggs and cheese and made some delicious “omelettes raclette” – you can do this on the raclette itself or on stovetop (see pic below).

So now on to the “Bananas Fauxster” recipe! With origins to the 1950s in what has become a famed French Quarter restaurant “Brennans” Bananas Foster is a delicious ending to any fantastic meal. My raclette version (a.k.a. “fauxster”) adapts the original recipe for the raclette and it incorporates two of my favorite Texas ingredients: Texas Pecans and Pecan Street Rum, which is distilled outside Austin in Pflugerville.

Step 1: Place sliced bananas in your raclette tray and top with pieces of butter, some brown sugar and a sprinkling of chopped Texas pecans and a splash of the Pecan Street Rum. Place the grilling tray to the lower level of your raclette and let it toast-up 2-3 minutes or until bubbly brown.

Step 2: Transfer the bubbly banana mixture to a bowl or serve inside a fillo shell. You can also accompany the dessert alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra decadent treat.

Ready To Raclette, Right ?!

If you’d like some suggestions for where to score your very own raclette magic, try these retailers:

Bed Bath & Beyond
Williams Sonoma

All this raclette talk has made me hungry so let’s get to grillin’. Enjoy!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
512-222-3302

❤ Love Food? In a click and a scroll you can visit more of my favorite recipes! There’s more than 50 of them here on the Home Style Austin blog!