Fajita Soup

This recipe was given to me by one of my blog readers, former high school classmate, and new blogging buddy, Barbara. She has some great ideas in the kitchen, which I look forward to being able to share with you all.

I also have two confessions to make. First, I have had this recipe since October 10th and am just now getting around to trying it. There's a couple ingredients in this soup that I don't normally keep around the house (Ro-tel tomatoes) and Bush's Chili Beans. I kept forgetting to add them to my grocery list. The second confession is that I never did remember the chili beans. I didn't have the recipe with me, and all I could think about were the Ro-tel tomatoes. So, I substituted a can of red kidney beans and added about a teaspoon of chili powder to the pot.

Caution: This is a spicy soup. If you really aren't into spicy and you want to try this, I recommend subbing the Cilantro Lime Ro-tel tomatoes for the extra-mild. That way you still get the Mexican flavor without all the heat. If you like it just spicy enough to make your nose run (like me), than this is the perfect soup for you.

Barbara's Fajita Soup

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel tomatoes (Mexican flavor with lime & cilantro)
2 cups frozen peppers and onion mix
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
Extra water

To get started, I assembled all my canned goods and seasonings.

Then I dumped my canned beans into a colander in the sink. I don't all that thick juicy stuff in the canned beans, so I rinsed them well and added them to the crock pot.

I also dumped in the corn (drained), both cans of tomatoes, the packet of fajita seasoning and the chili powder.

Then I added my frozen bell pepper and onion mix and enough water to make a nice soup. I have a large crock pot, and I filled it about 2 inches shy of the rim.

Lastly I added the cooked, shredded chicken and mixed it up nice.
(Tip from Barbara: Buy the rotisserie chickens at the store when they go on sale at night. Pull the meat off and separate into 2 or 3 bags and freeze. Then you already have cooked, shredded chicken in the freezer and ready to use.)

I actually started this in the crock about 10:00 in the morning, but I forgot to turn it on until about 12:00. It cooked about 5 1/2 hours on low and was still great for dinner! We served it with a dollop of light sour cream. The Honey also added a handful of shredded cheddar. It was fabulous, Barbara - thanks for sharing!