It's a long way from Mexico...

...where I was born. In fact according to wiki answers, it is just shy of 5 1/2 thousand miles. I seriously doubt that the village shop near my home sells jalapenos, and to be quite frank, the farthest south I have been on this continent is San Diego.

Fortunately, I now live somewhere MUCH closer, even if I haven't made it across the border yet. And I live somewhere where there is much excellent Mexican food on offer. And often offered with a pitcher of margaritas or a negro modelo just to sweeten the deal.

Sometimes, I forget my British cuisine roots, and also attempt to cook Mexican. Now, don't laugh: bear in mind that this is Mexican cooked by a pasty pale Brit, with a wimpy tolerance for spicy heat, so it probably doesn't deserve to be called Mexican. But hey, it's tasty, and all five of the family slurp this up. Can't argue with that.

This recipe is a mixture of various recipes I have found on websites over the year, tweaked and twisted by yours truly in her own pale, pasty way.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Crockpot
Serves 5 (sometimes with leftovers)

For crockpot:
canola oil spray
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 12oz bag frozen corn (no need to defrost)
1 can black beans, low sodium (14.5 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added (14.5 oz)
1 can enchilada sauce (10oz) - I use mild or medium (see above!)
2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chopped green chilis (no need to drain)
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp salt (omit, if you are not using no-salt added tomatoes)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

To serve:
finely chopped green onions
chopped tomatoes
chopped avocado
chopped cilantro (coriander leaves for all you other pasty Brits out there)
sour cream
shredded sharp cheddar

1. Spray the crockpot with oil spray and put all crockpot ingredients listed above in there (yep, no browning, no nothing, just throw it all in).
2. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Remove chicken from crockpot and use two forks on a chopping board to shred it. It should just fall apart.
4. Put chicken back into the crockpot and stir.
5. Serve in bowls with crusty bread (I know, very Mexican) and the toppings listed above.
DELISH!