Saturday, January 30, 2010

Weekend Cooking- Taco Soup and Cheese Biscuits











Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. To see who else is participating today, click on the button.

I have been following the Weekend Cooking posts and this is my first time to participate. I love all things foodie and  I am trying to cook more and cook healthier foods so this is a great way to share some of my favorites. One of my favorite soups as well as my husband's  is Taco Soup. I make it often in the fall and winter. My husband cracked his back molar a few days ago and can't get into the dentist for a few days. So, he needs to eat softer foods and I decided to make his favorite Taco Soup last night. You won't believe that this is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that has floated on the WW boards for several years and there are many versions. We like the vegetarian version but there is a version with meat which makes it more like a chili. I didn't take my own picture but this is one that I found that is the closest to what it looks like. Trust me, it's delicious!






TACO SOUP


1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Package Taco Seasoning Mix
2 Cups whole Kernel corn, frozen
1 Can Chicken Broth (or 16 oz from carton of broth)
1 Can Black Beans, undrained
1 Can White Beans, undrained
1 Can Fat-Free or Vegetarian Refried Beans
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (Mexcian Flavor...Rotel or diced tomatoes with chilies)
1 Can Diced Tomatoes (Any flavor)

Spray Pam in a soup pot and cook onion until softened over medium heat.
Dump all the cans of beans in first and mix. Then, add all of the other ingredients.
Stir until all mixed. Bring to a slow boil and then put a lid on and simmer for about an hour. Stir as needed.

*You can use whatever combination of beans that you like. I didn't have white beans so I used a can of kidney beans.  All cans are approximately 14-16 oz.

*One change is adding a package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing instead of the refried beans to help thicken the soup.

*It is supposed to make 15 cups. If you are following  the Weight Watchers Plan, 1 Cup=1 Point (you should double check this if you are uncertain, I cannot claim 100% accuracy on WW points)
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I decided to serve something else with the soup as my husband could use the extra food as he's not eating much. I found this not so WW friendly Cheese biscuit recipe at allrecipes and they were great! They are supposed to be based on the Red Lobster cheese biscuits. They were quick and easy to make.


Quick Cheese Biscuits


2 cups buttermilk baking mix (I used bisquick Light)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

In a bowl, stir in the biscuit mix, milk and cheese just until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Mix butter and garlic powder; brush over biscuits. Bake at 475 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*Depending on how big you make your biscuits, this recipe claims 18 servings.

*Some of the reviews mentioned adding a few more tablespoons of milk so that the biscuits aren't dry and I did that. They also suggested adding a bit more cheddar cheese which I did. These biscuits were scrumptious and a perfect pair with the Taco Soup.

11 comments:

  1. What an easy and very warming and comforting meal. I like the sound of that soup -- and I can see that it work without meat, too. Yummm.

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  2. Love me some taco soup. I do mine with the packet of Ranch dressing. I've never tried Red Lobster biscuits at home, but I will now!

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  3. Bonnie, I made Taco Soup this week too. My recipe is pretty much like yours with a few minor changes. I put in a can of hominy instead of two of corn. I put in pinto beans and kidney beans. I've made this with extra lean hamburger meat and also with ground turkey. Tastes the same. I haven't made it vegetarian, but I can see that it would be just as good. I also use the Hidden Valley Dressing mix instead of refried beans. It's very good leftover, isn't it?

    The biscuit recipe I will take note of. My husband loves those biscuits and even though we are trying to eat more healthy, he would be interested in those.

    Oh, and we have put the soup over taco chipd (baked) and sprinkled a bit of cheese on top.

    I've just gotten over a big tooth ordeal. Hope your husband can get his taken care of soon. I totally sympathize.

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  4. I like the sound of this soup. I actually have all those ingredients in the house right now. I'm going to give it a try. I like the idea of serving those biscuits with the soup too. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  5. This is the recipe for Taco Soup that I have been making for years. Yum! I'll have to try the biscuits - they sound so good.

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  6. cut back on the liquid a bit, puree one can of the tomatoes to make it thicker and this is rather like my veggie chili recipe.

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  7. I likw when you share WW recipes and points :) I'll email you about NC a little later :) Hope you got the stuff in the mail!

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  8. this sounds really tasty. I make my own taco seasoning with no salt, but I'm sure it would work. I will write this down to give a try. Thanks.

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  9. Oh I'm making that this week! It looks wonderful and I love recipes that call for a lot of cans, LOL!

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  10. I've been on a huge soup kick these past few weeks...and this one looks like one I will have to make for sure!!

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  11. Oh yummy!! You have just made my tummy growl! lol

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