Taco Soup and Cornbread

My sister made a delicious taco soup during Christmas time and I was craving some the other night when it was not even a balmy zero outside. Unfortunately I didn't have her recipe (Hil, I'll have to get that from you!), but Paula Dean came through for me. I usually try to make relatively healthy dinners, so I made a few changes to the soup and cornbread to make them a little more diet friendly.

This also allowed a larger consumption of homemade chocolate pudding later on that night. :)

Taco Soup
adapted from Paula Dean, original recipe is below

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles

2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles

1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional

1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional

1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Corn chips, for serving

Sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheese, for garnish

Chopped green onions, for garnish

Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

My notes: This recipe is pretty adaptable. I cut it in half (which I often do when I'm trying a new recipe). I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I used about half a can of corn, instead of the whole can and I just kept dumping various diced tomatoes (some with green chilis, some without) until I got it to be the soupy consistency that I wanted. I skipped most of the garnishes, except added green onion, cilantro and a lime wedge (fresh lime juice adds GREAT flavor) to each serving.

Lowfat Cornbread

adapted from recipe found on Body for Life

1 cup lowfat buttermilk

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup whole kernel corn, drained

2 tsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 450 with an 8x8 pan on the center rack. Mix the buttermilk and baking soda in a bowl. Add the cornmeal and flour, stirring until mixed. Stir in the cornmeal and canola oil. Remove hot 8x8 pan from oven, spray with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake about 20 minutes until golden brown.

My notes: I used a combo of whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour, but you could use regular flour and/or just whole wheat flour. **UPDATE**I like the texture of this better with 1/8 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) and 1/8 cup white flour.