A Sutherland Belle
“Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.”

Chicken Enchilada Soup with Homemade Lime Tortilla Strips

Chicken Enchilada Soup

When I turned 50, I waxed romantically that I had reached the proverbial orange cone, signaling the turnaround point in my life. The challenges of my first 50 years were behind me, and from then on, I expected my life to follow a much easier, downhill course. Boy, was I wrong.

I assumed I would feel some relief now that the burdens of youth had been lifted, but contradictorily, my thoughts turned to all the fun I never had because of my fear of failure. Anxiety had become a self-inflicted handicap, and if the flow is what makes life worth living, I was stuck in a quagmire.

"You missed out." Is there another sentence that can strike such anxiety in a person other than "We need to talk?" The Fear Of Missing Out, or FOMO in millennial-speak, goes far beyond its intended meaning when you start to look at your whole Life. While FOMO may be an issue for Generation Y, when you are on the downhill journey, you feel more like Generation Why?, which suffers more from FOF, which is the fear of failure. Like FOMO, when you're so tuned in to the 'other,' you lose your authentic sense of self. This constant fear of missing out by not trying means you are not participating as a real person in your world.

One of the major issues I faced as a child was being raised by an egocentric parent. I learned very early to serve other people's needs. I was taught if you were good at something, you needed to be great. If you were great, you needed to be better. And if you weren't the best, you should do something else. I never developed an authentic identity, so I cocooned myself in a world of mediocracy. I was living a safe, helmet-wearing, knee pad, mouth guard kind of life.

I was a hopeless people-pleaser and had no idea what I liked.  To the point where I felt nothing would give me joy, nothing would be fun, and nothing would make me happy. But with help, I am learning to find my authentic self.  I now understand my inborn personality traits, recognize my natural strengths and weaknesses, and know my likes and dislikes.  I'm learning what puts my brain in flow and what I must do to experience pure joy.

I now appreciate the real me rather than the one who puts on a show to benefit others. Very few of us feel comfortable being our true selves because we don't see ourselves as remarkable. We don't realize that our authenticity is the one thing that makes us unique, and our self-worth determines our successes and failures.

It's been said that the definition of hell is where you meet the person you could have become and that some people die at 25 but aren't buried until 75. I could easily have been one of those tragedies. Life is short, but it's not over. Growing up with a can't-do attitude killed my desire to follow my heart, but something shifted when I finally reached that orange cone. I realized I could either continue to hold on tight to Life's handlebars, or I could lift my butt off the seat, raise my arms in the air and let the wind whip through my helmetless hair.

We will all come to the finish line eventually, whether I like it or not. While I don't want the race to end anytime soon, I want to cross that line with pride. And while Life doesn't offer participation trophies just for showing up, maybe I'll be awarded a small ribbon for Most Improved. Now, at 56, I realize that my life is just getting started, and there is no stopping me now. But if I should get to the end before you, I'll be the one holding the "WAY TO GO!" sign, cheering you on.

Chicken Enchilada Soup with Homemade Lime Tortilla Strips

INGREDIENTS

For the Soup

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (or 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and stem removed (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup masa harina (a thickening agent and authentic to this dish)
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 2 10-ounce cans of red enchilada sauce or use my homemade recipe below
  • 1 14-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14-ounce can of corn, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14-ounce can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 4-ounce cans of green chiles
  • 8 ounces (1 bar) of cream cheese
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
  • Garnishes: Sour cream, shredded lettuce, and homemade lime tortilla strips

For Red Enchilada Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

For the Lime Tortilla Strips

  • 7 small flour or corn tortillas
  • 1 1/2-2 cups frying oil, I used canola
  • Badia's Lime Pepper Seasoning
  • Coarse Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Soup

  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper to the pan. Cook for 5-7 on each side or until the chicken is almost done. Remove and shred into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Add chopped onion to the pan with additional oil if needed. Saute for 4 minutes or until the onions are softened. Add jalapeno (if using) and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
  3. Add masa harina and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add one cup of the chicken broth to ensure masa harina is well blended.
  4. Add the rest of the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, shredded chicken, black beans, corn diced tomatoes, and green chilies.
  5. Stir together to combine and cook for about 10 minutes, uncovered, until the soup begins to simmer. Stir often to make sure the masa harina gets fully incorporated into the soup.
  6. Remove the Dutch oven or pot from the heat and add the cream cheese and cheese. Stir it into the soup until it completely dissolves and melts.
  7. Serve immediately with sour cream, shredded lettuce, and homemade lime tortilla strips.

For the Enchilada Sauce

  1. In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add flour and whisk together for 1 minute.
  3. Add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and dried oregano and whisk together for 30 seconds.
  4. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to make sure no big lumps form.
  5. Add the tomato paste and whisk the enchilada sauce until completely smooth.
  6. Bring to a simmer, and remove from heat. Sore in a tight-lid mason jar for up to a week. This makes the exact amount required for the soup.

For the Lime Tortilla Strips

  • Cut large tortillas into 3 parts and small/medium in half then cut them into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) strips.

Fried tortilla strips:

  • Add the oil into a medium/large pot (preferably a medium shallow pot or a skillet with high sides). You should have at least 3/4-1 inch of oil in your pan. Heat the oil until very hot (a drop of water sizzles in contact with the oil) or until it reaches about 350°F (175°C).
  • Fry the strips in batches making sure to not add too much to the pot (the temperature of the oil will decrease too much and the strips will soak up oil). Fry the strips until golden, turn them over using a fork, and fry just briefly for a couple of seconds until light golden in color (take the strips out of the oil when they are just lightly golden, they will darken a bit after they have been removed from the oil).
  • Remove the strips from the oil with a slotted spoon or a spider strainer and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Season immediately with salt and lime pepper after each new batch. Let cool and use to garnish soup.

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