Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup, Green Chicken Enchiladas, and Spinach Salad

Okay, this is my all-time FAVORITE tortilla soup, and I've made and tasted a lot of them. It's always a crowd-pleaser. Last night I had 5 aunts, my mom, and grandma over for dinner during their vacation to California. Or maybe it was a vacation FROM Utah. :) Either way, they needed a change in scenery and weather and decided to have a sisters-in-law reunion here in sunny southern California. So we had them over for dinner and Family Home Evening. I made this tortilla soup, chicken enchiladas, and a spinach salad, and they asked me to post all of those recipes. So here's a picture of the soup and the other two recipes as well (sorry, no pictures of those).

Chicken Lime Tortilla Soup

Debbie Stapley (my sis-in-law--I don't know where she got the recipe)

In a pot, combine the following:

2 quarts (8 cups) Chicken stock

1 red onion, julienne sliced

1-2 cups Roma tomatoes, julienne sliced

2 rounded tsp. Mexican oregano (I use regular oregano)

2 rounded tsp. chili powder

2 rounded tsp. basil

juice from 2-4 limes (depending on how juicy they are)

2 bay leaves

salt and white pepper

4 chicken breasts halves, cooked and cubed or shredded

2 Tbs. minced cilantro

Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes before eating (don't forget to remove bay leaves).

Garnish with:

Grated pepper jack cheese

Cilantro

Crunched up tortilla chips

Avocados

Green Chicken Enchiladas

Isa Reichner, a friend

(there are no amounts here, just make as much or as little as you desire)

Cooked shredded chicken

Green onions, cut

Cilantro

Colby or Monterey Jack Cheese

Cotija cheese (mild Mexican cheese)

Corn Tortillas

1 can Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

Pour 1-2 Tbs. olive oil in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish. Mix cheeses, onions, and cilantro in a bowl. Warm tortillas (I do this in between two wet paper towels in microwave) and stuff them with chicken and cheese mixture, then put in pan, seam side down (if I'm in a hurry I don't even bother to warm the tortillas--they'll probably crumble a little when you put them in the pan, but they still taste good). Pour sauce over enchiladas, and top with more cheese if desired. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Spinach Salad

Leanne Anderson, a friend

Dressing:
2 Tablespoons vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
Dissolve sugar in vinegar in any small pan over low heat
When dissolved removed from heat.
Add fresh ground pepper and a little salt
Cool
Add to 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Canola oil and shake - add more salt & pepper to taste (depends on your taste buds on how much oil you like)

Refrigerate until use.

Combine the following for salad:

LOTS of fresh baby spinach leaves
watercress (if I feel like dealing with pulling the leaves from the stems)
green onions (2 or 3 of them)
crispy bacon cut small
salted cashew pieces
red seedless grapes cut in half