Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 C cooked shredded chicken
4 C chicken stock
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
2 cans black beans
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste

In a stock pot, cook onion, garlic, and bell peppers in oil until soft. Add chicken, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and spices. Add stock and simmer for 20-30 min.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime, and/or jalapeños. I also serve with tortilla chips (I fry my own using vegetable oil and corn tortillas).

I've also made this with turkey (and homemade turkey stock), and it was awesome.

Jamaica's Thai Chicken and Rice

An attempt at an adaption of Nong's Kao Man Gai Chicken and Rice. Not nearly as good, but still decent.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T vegetable oil
1 C brown or white rice
1 palm size fresh ginger root
2 heads garlic
1/3 C lite soy sauce
1/3 C white vinegar
5-10 small red hot chilis
1/2 C peanuts (optional)
cilantro (optional)
lime (optional)

Boil rice in water per package directions. Mince one head of garlic (4-5 cloves) and half of the ginger root. Add to a large skillet along with vegetable oil and heat on medium. While oil is heating, dice chicken into bite size cubes. Add to skillet and brown, stirring frequently. While chicken is cooking, make sauce by combining soy sauce, vinegar, remaining minced garlic and minced ginger. Minced chilis can be added to the sauce directly or served on the side. Add peanuts to chicken during last few minutes of cooking. Serve rice on a platter with the chicken on the top. Serve the sauce on the side, along with chilis, cilantro, and lime.

SUBSTITUTE: I recently made this using a whole chicken and it turned out really well. I roasted the chicken for a few hours, let it cool, and pulled the meat off the bone. I reheated the meat in a little bit of vegetable oil in a skillet along with some garlic and peanuts. The mixture of white and dark meat really enhanced the flavor. I also fried up the skin from the chicken and served it on the side. It gave the dish a nice crunch.

Jamaica's Choriqueso

5-6 oz chorizo
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 can tomatoes with green chilies

Preheat oven to 425. In a saucepan, brown chorizo. Add onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until softened. Add tomatoes and scrape all the yummy bits from the pan. Grease a loaf pan and add half the cheese. Top with half of the chorizo mixture. Repeat. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with chips or tortillas.

Sriracha Ramen

1 block of ramen noodles (noodles only not the seasoning pack)
1 C stock
1/2 C frozen vegetables (green beans, edamame, carrots, corn, and/or peas recommended)
1 T Sriracha (more or less to taste)

Boil stock in a small pot. Add noodles (NOT the seasoning pack) and vegetables. Cook 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally until noodles are the desired consistency.