Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Here we are, 3 weeks into 2017, and I am just now getting around to posting my first recipe for the New Year. Where has the time gone?! Even though I haven't been posting any new recipes, that certainly does not mean I haven't been cooking up a storm. 

If you follow me on Instagram (which if you aren't, you should be!) you know that I'm in love with my Gourmia Smartpot 8-in-1 Programmable Multi-Function Pressure Cooker, Steamer, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Cooking Pot. Like...obsessed. While InstantPot is the big rage as far as brand names go, I believe my Gourmia is just as wonderful and actually has more functions in my particular model than most InstantPot models. However, I digress. 

I've been trying out anything and everything with my new Gourmia including pork roasts, shredded chicken, beef roast, and surprisingly the one thing I haven't quite nailed down...rice. Go figure. It has been a bit chilly in San Francisco and I've been craving a warm, comforting soup. 

Growing up, I have vivid memories of the Tortilla Soup from Burrito Joe's, a local fast casual Mexican restaurant. My mom and I LOVE this soup. One year a Cincinnati cookbook was released that compiled popular recipes from the most well known restaurants throughout the city and the Tortilla Soup was in there! I remember getting that for my mom and we made the soup right away. Luckily my mom still has that cookbook from the early 2000s so I had her email me the recipe. 

This tortilla soup is unique because it is creamy thanks to a generous amount of sour cream. While sour cream is delicious, I am trying to get back into a healthy eating pattern following the holidays. I adapted this soup to be friendlier on the diet, added a few of my own flavors AND made it in my new pressure cooker! I've substituted nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream, which reduced the fat and adds more protein. You'll also notice that there are no fried tortilla strips on top. I've opted to omit the fried strips and instead I've addded tortilla strips into the soup while it cooks. This makes the soup thicker and still give it that hint of tortilla flavor throughout the soup. I hope you love this soup as much as I do!

(Fear not, if you have yet to get your Smartpot, which I reaalllly recommend you consider purchasing, I have also given you a version of the recipe for stovetop.)

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Inspried by Burrito Joe's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes Pressure Cooker, 50-60 min Stove Top

Servings: Approx. 9 cups of soup

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 2/3 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced - you can lessen this amount or omit depending on your desired level of spice!
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups crushed canned tomatoes
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2 corn tortillas, thinly sliced into strips
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1-1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

Directions:

In Pressure Cooker (Smartpot, InstantPot, etc.)

1. Using the 'Sauté' function, heat olive oil in pressure cooker and add bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, garlic and spices. Sauté for 3 minutes.
2. Turn off the pot, add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, chicken breast and tortillas. Give this a good stir and secure the pressure cooker lid. Using the 'Manual' function, cook at high pressure for 7 minutes. Note: it takes a few minutes for the pressure to build in the cooker before the timer actually begins. 
3. Once the high pressure cooking is complete, allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes before flipping the quick release. 
4. In a small bowl whisk the yogurt with 1 cup of the hot soup. Add this mixture back into the pot and whisk to fully incorporate. Add lime juice and cilantro, giving the soup one more good stir, and serve.  

 On Stove Top

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, heat olive oil and add bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, garlic and spices. Sauté for 3 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 
3. Add crushed tomatoes and tortillas, simmer for another 15 minutes. 
4. Add chicken breast and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. In a small bowl whisk the yogurt with 1 cup of the hot soup. Add this mixture back into the pot and whisk to fully incorporate. Add lime juice and cilantro, giving the soup one more good stir, and serve. 

Nutritional Information (1 cup soup):

136 calories - 15 g Protein, 14 g Carbohydrates, 2.5 g Fat

Chocolate Coconut Protein Donuts

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My protein donuts have always been my most popular recipes. I mean, who doesn't LOVE a good donut, especially when they are a healthier alternative to the traditional fried and sugar-filled treat!?

I've done Pumpkin and Apple Cider, but I hadn't to created a CHOCOLATE protein donut. GASP!! This coming from the girl who has a major soft spot for chocolate. I knew it needed to be changed. 

I also took to Instagram and asked a few of my devoted pronut enthusiasts (you know who you girls are!!) what flavors they would like to see for a new donut creation. Chocolate coconut was suggested and I couldn't agree more with that flavor combo.  

These donuts seriously taste waaaay too naughty to be nice. Nothing is overly complicated about these protein donuts, but the combination of seemingly simple ingredients make these donuts pack a punch of deliciousness. The chocolate donut is a great base, but what really shines are the toppings. 

A simple 2-ingredient glaze sets things off, followed by a small drizzle of chocolate and a sprinkle of toasted coconut. Sure donuts are thought of as a breakfast treat, but these can stand on their own as a seriously awesome dessert.

I highly recommend having one with a hot cup of coffee...or serving one of these up with a scoop of vanilla Halo Top ice cream. 

Chocolate Coconut Protein Donuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts

• 1/4 cup  chocolate whey protein powder (I use Whey Protein Isolate from True Nutrition)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain skyr (Icelandic-style yogurt)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Glaze

• 1 tbsp Neufchatel cheese (or lowfat cream cheese)
• 12 tsp vanilla cashew milk (or nondairy milk of your choice)

Additional Toppings

• 1 tbsp chocolate chips
• 1-2 tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease donut pan with coocnut oil or butter (just so the donut don't stick to pan) and set aside. 
2. Mix all dry ingredients (protein powder, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt) together in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients (butter, applesauce, yogurt, egg and vanilla) and whisk together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk together until well incorporated. 
3. Transfer batter to a large Ziploc bag - we will use this as a piping bag. Snip a very small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag and evenly pipe batter into donut pan. I like to tab the pan on my counter top to level out the batter and ensure there are no air bubbles. 
4. Transfer donuts to oven to bake for 10 minutes or until a toothpick in inserted into the donut and comes out clean.
5. While donuts are baking, toast shredded coconut. In a small fry pan over medium heat, continuous stir shredded coconut. It will begin to become golden in just a minute or two. Keep an eye on this because it can go from golden and toasted to black and burnt in seconds! Pull from heat and transfer to a small bowl to cool.
6. After the donuts have finished baking, remove pan from oven and remove donuts from pan for cooling. 
7. While donuts are cooling, prepare the glaze. Combine cream cheese and milk in a small flat bowl which is wide enough to dip an entire donut in. Carefully pick up each of the donuts and dunk the tops into the glaze for a light coating.
8. Place glazed donuts on a parchment lined cutting board. Melt chocolate chips either over a double boiler or in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Once the chocolate has melted, use a spoon to drizzle over all the donuts, as seen in the photos above. Next sprinkle toasted coconut over donuts. 
9. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, placed in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information (1 donut)

115 calories - 9 g Protein, 8 g Carbs (3 g Fiber), 5.5 g Fat

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up!

Does anyone else agree that Thanksgiving has COMPLETELY snuck up on them?! I mean, where the heck did 2016 go...how are we nearing the end of November already?!

(Deep breaths)

I don't know about you, but I haven't had time to even think about my Thanksgiving menu. Luckily, My Engineered Nutrition has you and I covered! Everything you need for a kick-ass feast, aside from the turkey, can be found below. I personally can't wait for my Sweet Potato Stacks and Whipped Cauliflower with Caramelized Onions. 

What will be on your menu? What are your family favorites? I hope you find room for a few of mine below!

No-Guilt Chocolate Brownies

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When it comes to chocolate, I don't mess around. I love dark chocolate - the more chocolate the better. Some people shy away from dark chocolate or overly chocolate thing (whatever that means?!) but I go straight for them. 

So which chocolate lover are you? Sweet and milk chocolate or dark and rich? 

Regardless, I think we can all join hands and agree that these Double Chocolate Protein Brownies are a really winner. 

Don't let these fool you. While double chocolate desserts are often synonymous with rich and decadent, these brownies pack all the decadence without the guilt. I've shared my love for fudge-like brownies in the past (with my Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies) but these are actually more towards the cake-like side of the spectrum. 

The first time I made these I thought they were too good to be true. I experimented using Hemp Protein  for the first time in these, a plant based protein I hadn't tried before. These are chocolaty, moist and best of all...each brownie is less than 10g of carbohydrates and only 3.5g of fat. THE DESSERT ANGELS ARE REJOICING!!

Or maybe it's just me rejoicing? Either way, do yourself a favor and whip up a batch of these ASAP. And if I can leave you with one final recommendation...these are sinfully delicious when paired with a scoop of ice cream. What more do you need in life?

No-Guilt Chocolate Brownies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 9

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. hemp protein, chocolate 
• 1/3 c. cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. nondairy milk (cashew, almond, etc.)
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish and then line with parchment paper, this will help the paper stay in place. You could skip the parchment paper but it makes removing the brownies from the pan SO much easier and less messy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients, whisking together to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into prepare baking dish, ensuring to level out the top of the brownies.
3. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after testing. 
4. Remove brownies from oven and allow to cool in baking dish for about 15 minutes. Cut into 9 equal brownies.

Nutritional Information (1 brownie)

85 calories - 4 g Protein, 9 g Carbohydrates (4 g Fiber), 3.5 g Fat

My Engineered Nutrition's Fall Favorites!

Fall has officially arrived! I don't know about you, but I love the changing of seasons. The changes in weather, wardrobe and most importantly...FOOD! There is something so wonderfully comforting about meals made during the Fall. If you are searching for new recipes to incorporate into your weekly meal planning, look no further - My Engineered Nutrition has got you covered!