| I don't know about you, but I love eating out at | | | | 1/2 Cup water |
| restaurants. The problem is that my budget doesn't | | | | 1 lb. cooked chicken, cubed or pulled |
| always support it since even a simple meal out at a | | | | 1 Cup cream |
| restaurant can cost an arm and a leg. The good news | | | | 1/4 Cup non-fat sour cream |
| is that rather than having to miss out on your favorite | | | | 8 oz. processed cheese, 1-inch cubes |
| meals because you are on a limited budget you can | | | | 10 (6-inch) colored or yellow corn tortillas, 1/4-inch strips, |
| use a "copycat recipe" to make your favorite | | | | fried |
| restaurant dishes at home. | | | | Roughly chopped Fresh cilantro (optional) |
| These recipes are reverse engineered to make a dish | | | | Sauté oil, garlic and onions in large pan until soft. |
| that tastes just like that one you have at the | | | | Add the vegetable oil, chicken stock, green pepper, |
| restaurant. The difference is that instead of having to | | | | tomato puree, jalapeño pepper, salt, pepper, |
| pay the huge price tag for a restaurant meal, you just | | | | sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and hot |
| pick up the ingredients at the grocery store and make | | | | sauce. Bring to low boil, then reduce heat and simmer |
| it yourself for a fraction of the cost. Not only that, but | | | | 20 minutes. Cut tortillas into 1/4-inch strips and fry in oil |
| by making it yourself you get leftovers, too, which is | | | | or spray with oil and bake at 400ºF (while soup is |
| always a good thing! | | | | cooking). Sprinkle with salt if desired. Thoroughly mix |
| As an example, here's a copycat recipe that I have | | | | flour and water, then whisk into soup. Bring to a low |
| for Applebee's Cheese Chicken Tortilla Soup. | | | | boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken and simmer 5 |
| 2 tsp. minced fresh garlic | | | | minutes. Stir in sour cream and cheese (to taste). The |
| 1 cup chopped yellow onion | | | | soup should be served at 165ºF. After serving |
| 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil | | | | soup, pile tortilla strips into a "haystack" shape on top |
| 4 Cups chicken stock | | | | of the soup. Optional: garnish with freshly chopped |
| 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped | | | | cilantro. Makes 6-8 servings |
| 1 can tomato puree (15 oz.) | | | | This recipe is delicious and is really great for cold |
| 1 Tbsp. finely minced jalapeño pepper (optional) | | | | winter nights since soup is always a warm, filling meal. |
| 1 tsp. sugar | | | | One of the great things about this recipe is that it |
| 1/2 tsp. hot sauce (optional) | | | | makes enough to feed an entire family and is pretty |
| 1 tsp. chili powder (optional) | | | | cheap to make. Even if you just have one or two |
| 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce | | | | people to feed the leftovers can be easily stored and |
| 1/2 tsp. salt | | | | feed you for a few days. It's a great way to get |
| 1/4 tsp. pepper | | | | restaurant-style soup on an eat at home budget. |
| 4 Tbsp. flour | | | | |