Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup and an Avocado

After a long Thanksgiving weekend away, I was ready to be home and eat something from my own kitchen. Tired, but hungry, and hearing the usual chorus of "What's for dinner tonight?" led me to the freezer. I found some leftover smoked BBQ pork that I had frozen in chicken broth. I've tried to save smoked BBQ in a Ziploc, but it doesn't freeze well-too dry. However, if the meat is frozen in a liquid, it obviously retains both its moisture and flavor. This recipe could work well with leftover turkey, too.
So, after some mixing and tasting, this is what I came up with for our dinner... My husband made some cornbread to accompany the soup. It was just the right addition to the meal!
And after the recipe, I've shared my solution for removing the pit from an avocado without sustaining a knife wound.

Post Thanksgiving Tex Mex Soup

1 1/2 qts of Chicken broth
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of corn
1 package of Turkey Kielbasa
2-3 cups of leftover meat (chicken, turkey, or pork BBQ)
1 1/2 cups V8 juice
1 can mild Rotel
2/3 can regular Rotel
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp or more of Cumin
pinch of oregano

Place chicken broth, cooked meat, and V8 juice in in a large dutch oven. Slice Kielbasa down the middle longways and then into quarter-inch slices. Add slices to the broth mixture bring to a gentle boil. Add spices and corn. Cook for 20 minutes. Add black beans. Cook another 10 minutes, taste and adjust spices according to desired level of heat. If too spicy, dilute it with another cup of chicken broth. Garnish with avocado and fresh cilantro.

Garnishes:
avocado
cilantro
crushed tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream


How to choose (and safely cut) an avocado
If an avocado is solid green and hard, it will be ready in 2-3 days. If it is solid black, it is probably ready. A perfectly ripe avocado should be black (with maybe a tinge of green) and firm, but barely give when you squeeze it. If the skin mashes in and you feel an air pocket between the skin and avocado's flesh, it is past its moment of usefulness.

To cut it, hold it in one hand, and your knife in the other. Make a circle all the way around. Put the knife down, squeeze and gently pull apart. Cut the half without the pit in half. Here is what I discovered about the side with a pit. Place the pit against the palm of your hand, use the knife to cut through the skin on the outside of the avocado. Gently tug one side from the pit. It is now in fourths. Use your hands to remove the pit from the other side. Previously, every time I tried to remove the pit by whacking it with a knife (As seen on TV), I caused an injury. So instead of giving up avocados, I created a different removal method. Now I have happy fingers and a happy tummy. I hope you do, too!

Enchiladas

If you went to college with me or eat at my house often, chances are that I've made enchiladas for you. This is a recipe that I grew up with. I didn't know that other kids in my town didn't have Mexican food on a regular basis. That's what you get with a momma from California. She exposed me to Mexican food because she cooked it in our home with what was available in Tennessee during the 1980's. Those good ol' Old El Paso brand products still exist!

Recently, I went to a BBQ and came home with a whole smoked chicken and a Boston Butt. While I enjoy BBQ, frozen cooked meat doesn't freeze well on its own. In order not to waste this delicious smoked meat, I put parts of the porker and chicken into enchiladas. They freeze well, and after they cool off, I wrap 2 at a time in plastic wrap. Then I wrap the pair in aluminum foil and label them. Later on, just pull them out, unwrap both layers, throw them in the microwave for a few minutes. There you have a fast and filling lunch in a hurry.

Red Sauce Enchiladas
1 pkg of 10 taco size flour tortillas ( I like Ole brand)
2 cans ( 10 oz each) red enchilada sauce (Old El Paso brand*) Wal-mart carries mild, med and hot varieties. I like medium. Watch what you buy!
1 lb ground beef OR ground turkey OR shredded pork- cooked and drained
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

I have found that 1 lb of meat and the above amounts of cheese and sauce are just right when evenly divided by 10. I have begun to decrease my cheese a little and small handful leftover is fine, too.
Make sure you have an ample amount of counter space to use for the assembly process. Spray 1 9x11 baking dish with Pam. Preheat oven to 350. Down the middle of each tortilla, place a strip of 3-4 TBSP of meat, a small handful of each cheese and 1 TBSP of red sauce. Roll it up and place in the greased baking dish. When all 10 are rolled up in the dish, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Use a spoon or butter knife to run in between each enchilada. You want sauce to go between each enchilada. If not, later on they will be more difficult to remove from the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The closer to 35 minutes, the crispier the enchilada.


Green Enchiladas
1 lb or more shredded chicken
2 cans (10oz each) Green enchilada sauce
1 8 oz brick of Monterey Jack cheese -grated
1 8 oz brick of extra sharp Cheddar - grated

Follow directions from above.