Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup Copycat from Rumbi's Island Grill

Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup Copycat from Rumbi's Island Grill

2 each chicken breasts, no skin, no bone, R-T-C -- or rotisserie chicken
6-7 cups chicken broth (I use a combination of canned broth and water with bouillon added)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (the original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp FRESH thyme or 1 pinch DRIED thyme)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger -- chopped (I use the bottled ginger)
1 tablespoon garlic clove -- minced (I usually use the bottle minced garlic)
1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots (I use the matchstick)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup tomato -- chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese -- shredded
2 cups white tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips (see Laura's notes below)
1 each lime -- cut into wedges
sea salt -- to taste

Laura's original recipe calls for you to grill the chicken, but I never do that, although it would be delicious. Instead I use leftover rotisserie chicken or heat some oil in a large pot, brown the chicken breasts on both sides, then add the chicken broth, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger and garlic and bring to a light boil.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth and set it aside to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, turn to medium-low heat and add the carrots and coconut milk. Cut up chicken and add it to the soup, heating until the chicken is warm.

Get four soup bowls and place 1/4 cup of the tomato in each. Ladle broth mixture into bowls. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and tortilla strips. Squeeze juice onto soup from lime wedges and add salt to taste. (JEN: The lime juice and sea salt really change the flavor of the soup dramatically, so I add just a little lime juice and sea salt before ladling into bowls.) Makes 4 bowls.

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS:  3/23/12 Lately I've been cooking this soup in the slow cooker and it has been really easy.  Place chicken in a slow cooker and season with salt and pepper (I usually use 3 large chicken breasts in my 5-qt slow cooker).  Top with allspice, thyme, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic.  Top with matchstick carrots (I use more than the recipe calls for).  Pour chicken broth down along the sides of the slow cooker so you don't wash all the seasonings off of the chicken.  Cover and cook 4-6 hours  on Low until chicken is cooked through.  Once cooked, pull the chicken out of the slow cooker and let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, add coconut milk to slow cooker and let it heat up while the chicken rests.  Shred chicken and return it to slow cooker.  Stir and serve.  (I like to add lime juice and salt to individual servings because they change the flavor so much.)

GLUTEN FREE and SOY FREE DIRECTIONS: Make sure your chicken, broth, coconut milk, cheese, and tortilla chips/strips are gluten and soy free.

DAIRY FREE DIRECTIONS: Omit cheese.

LOW IODINE DIET DIRECTIONS: Omit cheese. Make sure your chicken, broth, and tortilla chips/strips are LID-safe.

Source: Laura at Real Mom Kitchen
Internet Address: http://realmomkitchen.com/5170/copycat-rumbis-bahama-mama-tortilla-soup/

NOTES:
LAURA'S NOTES: You can find tortilla strips in your grocery store now. I have seen them in the produce dept, deli dept, or on the chip isle. If not, then crushed tortilla chips will work. They just aren’t as pretty.

JEN'S NOTES: I love to be able to just taste the flavor of this soup, so I never add cheese and rarely add tortilla chips. The lime juice and salt really change the flavor of the soup dramatically, so I add just a little lime juice and sea salt before serving.

The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped, or a pinch of dried thyme. I accidentally put in 1/2 teaspoon DRIED thyme the first time I made this soup and thought it was so delicious that this is what I always do now. The original recipe also calls for 1 cup coconut milk, but I prefer the entire can. The original recipe also says to grill the chicken, but I don't have time for that.

Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sweet & Savory Sauce

Although this recipe does not taste exactly like what you buy in the store, it is a tasty Asian-style sauce that's easy to whip up when you don't or can't have the real thing. It is very sweet. Next time I make it I might try cutting down on the sugar a little.

Mr. Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sweet & Savory Sauce

Categories: Marinades, Seasonings, & Rubs, Soups, Sandwiches, & Sauces, Low Iodine Diet

2 cups soy sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar -- divided
3/4 cup white sugar -- divided
8 each green onions -- cut into 1 1/2 inch sections
4 slices fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 cup honey

Combine soy sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, green onions, ginger and garlic in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a slight boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour the remaining white and brown sugar and the honey into the saucepan. Bring to a boil. The mixture will rise and foam, when it does this and doubles in size remove the pan from heat and cool.

Yields 5 cups.

SOY FREE and LOW IODINE DIET DIRECTIONS:
Use a soy sauce substitute instead of soy sauce. Make sure to use real brown sugar, not white sugar with molasses added to it.

Source: http://www.recipelink.com/mf/14/29777
Internet Address: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080709164051AAZ7wCj

Winger's World Famous Freaking Amazing Sauce (Jen's Version)

This spicy sweet barbecue sauce is the key to Winger's World Famous Wings (see my version of these wings). And it's very easy to duplicate and very yummy. My brother-in-law, Eric, has been asking for this recipe for a while, so here it is!

Jen's Version of Winger's World Famous Freaking Amazing Sauce

Recipe By: Jen
Categories: Grilled & Barbecued, Marinades, Seasonings, & Rubs, Soups, Sandwiches, & Sauces

1/2 cup brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar)
1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
OR
1/3 cup Louisiana Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Mix the brown sugar and pepper sauce. Microwave 10-20 seconds just until sugar dissolves easily. Enjoy!

Ratings: 9 - Excellent 9
Serving Ideas : Serve this sauce with any kind of barbecued meat. It's especially good on chicken wings!

NOTES : JEN'S NOTES: Frank's Red Hot and Louisiana are the same except Frank's is thicker and more concentrated, so you don't need as much.

Winger's World Famous Wings

We LOVE the tasty chicken wings from Winger's Grill & Bar. The key to this recipe is Winger's Freaking Amazing Sauce. At Winger's Grill & Bar they probably fry the wings before tossing them in sauce. In my version, I bake the wings to cut out some of the fat, but they are still extremely tasty and really taste like the real thing.

Jen's Version of Winger's World Famous Wings

Recipe By: Jen
Serving Size: 5 wings
Servings: 2
Categories: Appetizers & Beverages, Chicken, Marinades, Seasonings, & Rubs, Soups, Sandwiches, & Sauces

10 each chicken wings -- rinsed and patted dry
Winger's Freaking Amazing Sauce (see recipe)

OPTIONAL BREADING
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 dashes cayenne pepper

OPTIONAL BREADING: Combine breading ingredients. Toss wings in breading to coat. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Place wings on the baking sheet, skin side up, making sure they don't touch. Spray wings with cooking spray, if desired. Cook wings at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until wings are cooked through. Increase heat to 450 degrees F and cook wings 5-20 minutes until crispy.

Meanwhile, make the sauce if you don't have any on hand. When the wings come out of the oven, place them in a bowl. Pour the sauce over the top of the wings and mix to coat. If you would like the wings to be sticky, you could place the wings back on the baking sheet and cook another 2-5 minutes at 450 degrees F or until the sauce is bubbly.

Ratings: 9 - Excellent 9 (Scott gives these wings a 9 1/2!)

Serving Ideas : Serve with Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing and celery sticks.

NOTES : JEN'S NOTES: You may have to increase the cooking time in order to get these cooked and crispy, especially if you're making more than 10 wings. These are so good! Scott prefers them without breading because they seem to be saucier, and the sauce is the best part (the breading seems to absorb the sauce). I wonder if you could cook them until crispy, then toss them in a slow cooker with the sauce. This might be a good idea for a party, but they disappear so quickly it might not be worth the effort!