Santa Fe Soup

I'll admit it, I'm not much of a cook. I like to cook but sometimes just can't be bothered to go to the trouble. I live in Brooklyn and have a tiny kitchen which I share with two other people. It makes it difficult to really spread out and enjoy the process of making a meal. Plus, I generally just cook for myself, which isn't all that fun to begin with. Well, then there's just laziness. My boyfriend, tired of all my cooking related excuses, recently bought me a crock pot. I like the idea of throwing a bunch of ingredients together and leaving it to cook on its own. There are limited dishes created and it doesn't require a lot of attention. Brilliant! 

What I love even more is opening a bunch of cans, dumping them in the slow cooker, and letting it all go to town while I enjoyed one of the last football Saturdays of the season! This soup is very much like a chili and is the perfect compliment to the increasingly chilly November weekends. I must give credit for the recipe to the lovely Hale Family. I lived with twins Jen and Sarah my last year at Auburn University and it was the center of many communal dinners at our house. Thanks, ladies!

Onions make me tear up terribly, so my boyfriend, Kurt, was kind enough to chop it for me. I will take credit for the rest of the grueling can and packaging opening though. Phew! Exhausting!

Isn't it beautiful?! My first real appliance! Thanks, Kurt!

The finished result. Pretty delicious if I do say so myself. It ended up a little spicier than I planned (I think due to a tangy can of tomatoes), so I garnished with lots of sour cream.

Santa Fe Soup Slow Cook Version

2 lb ground turkey or beef (I use turkey)

1 onion, chopped 

1 package Ranch dressing mix*

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (Rotel works well)

1 can tomato wedges

2 cans white corn (I used 1 bag of frozen corn)

some crushed garlic, to taste, very scientific

Add meat and onions to large crock pot. Sprinkle on the ranch dressing and taco seasoning so it coats the meat. Dump in all the remaining ingredients with juices from all. Add one extra can of water. Set the crock pot on high and let cook for 4 or 5 hours until meat is cooked through. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Enjoy!

*I feel that powdered Ranch dressing is a suburban specialty because I can never find it in New York City. Instead, this time I used a powdered onion soup mix. It seemed to work fine but I think the Ranch gives it something extra special.

xoxo

Melissa