SpiceNFlavors: November 2025

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 medium sized onion diced

4 to 5 cloves of garlic peeled

2 jalapeño's diced

1 can pinto beans or low fat black beans

1 can Fire roasted tomatoes

2 chipotle peppers

500 ml chicken broth low sodium

1/4 th cup chopped cilantro

2 to 3 tortilla to prepare tortilla strips

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp oregano

Salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven, and sauté onions, fresh garlic and jalapeño's on medium heat.
Once onions are translucent, add fire roasted tomatoes, chipotle peppers, chicken broth.
Add in cumin, cayenne, and oregano.
Add chopped cilantro. If using pinto or black beans, add in at this point.
Once broth is warm, add in chicken breasts, and allow to cook (with lid closed)
Remove chicken from the broth using tongs, and use a knife to shred the chicken into smaller pieces.
Place cooked shredded chicken back into the soup.
To make tortilla chips (optional) - cut the corn tortillas into 1 inch x 0.5 inch strips. Toss with olive oil.
Bake on a sheet pan in the oven at 350˚F for 10 mins or until tortillas are golden-brown.
To serve - top soup with tortilla chips, cilantro, and fresh jalapeños.

Homemade Lemonade and BBQ Paneer tikka skewers

Our garden has a lemon tree that has the best lemons and nothing is more refreshing than a homemade

lemonade on a hot afternoon.

Ingredients for Lemonade

3 to 4 medium size yellow lemons

1 cup plain granulated organic sugar

1 cup water for preparing the syrup

4 cups water

Ice cubes

Method:

1. Take a medium size sauce pan, add 1 cup water. Next, stir in 1 cup sugar.

Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Allow the syrup to cool for few minutes.

3. Squeeze the 3 to 4 lemons and add the lemon juice to the cooled sugar syrup.

4. Add remaining 4 cups of water and stir, add ice and serve cool.

Paneer skewers

This dish goes well as a starter and perfect for a bbq party where some guests

may prefer vegetarian food. It is also a party food that works like an ice breaker to start chats

with friends and good for a crowd of friends and family. In this dish, the marination is important

where spices uphold the flavor. Colorful vegetables also enhance the look of this dish.

Skewers are versatile, you can make vegetarian, non vegetarian.

Paneer is a milk based cheese that is soft like cottage cheese. the marinade is made up of yogurt, spices, lemon juice and tandoor tikka powder ( available online or in Indian grocery stores)

Ingredients

500 gm Paneer cubed ( cut it into 1 inch cubes )

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Marination items

2 tsp Shaan or Everest tandoori tikka powder (store brought)

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp fresh ginger garlic paste

2 to 3 finely chopped thai chilies

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp besan powder (gram flour)

1 tsp chaat powder (available online)

1 tsp vegetable cooking oil

Salt to taste

2 tsp kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) available online

Metal or wooden skewers: If you are using wooden skewers, do soak them for an hour in water before using them or else they can burn.

Method for marinade

1. In a medium size bowl, add yogurt and all remaining marinate ingredients. Add some edible tandoori red color and a tablespoon vegetable oil. Mix well.

2. Cut an onion into small 1 inch pieces and similarly cut colored bell peppers into same size pieces.

Add in cubed paneer and onions and bell peppers and allow it to marinate for approximately an hour.

3. Using skewers add the paneer cubes, alternating them with sliced onion and colored bell peppers.

3. Heat the grill to 350 degrees F and place the skewers onto the grill, spray or brush oil onto them and grill both sides for about 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle some chaat powder on to the cooked paneer tikka and serve hot.

4. If you are using an air fryer, preheat to 400 F and place the paneer tikka and onions, capsicum. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. If you are cooking using an oven, place the marinated paneer skewers onto a baking tray at 350 F Allow them to cook for 10 to 15 minutes and be careful they do not burn. As they start to brown or sizzle take them out and serve hot.