Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this Savory Soup!

CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO WITH THIS SAVORY SOUP!
It’s always fun to celebrate a holiday and May 5th is one of those times!
This is one of my favorite soup recipes because of its wonderful Mexican flair!  Sometimes during the Christmas holiday, our family chooses a particular ethnicity to celebrate.  This was a soup my cousin, Hal Meng, shared with us and we’ve enjoyed it ever since.  We served this soup to several guests just this week in fact.  It’s easy to make any time of year- so please enjoy!
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T butter
2/3 C  rice
1 tsp cumin
6 cups chicken stock
1 small can chopped green chiles
Pepper and salt
1   14-16 oz can garbanzo beans with liquid
1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces
Garnish with:
Grated jack or pepper jack cheese
2 avacados (sliced or made into guacamole)
Cilantro
Green onions
Diced tomatoes
DIRECTIONS:
Heat butter and saute onions and garlic over low heat for 10′ in large pot.
Add rice, cumin and chicken stock.  Bring to boil and simmer for 25′ until rice is tender.
Pan fry chicken with salt and pepper in a T of butter until pieces are just done.
Add chicken, garbanzos with liquid, salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for another 5′.
Garnish with toppings or allow people to add their own, buffet style.
Serve with warm, flour tortillas or corn chips!
Spice it up a bit with a habanero hot sauce.
If you’d like to know more about the historical and cultural aspects of Cinco De Mayo, click on the following link.
When making a reservation at Blue Mountain Bed and Breakfast, you can always request a gourmet dinner (with a party of  six or more)!  Ethnic cooking is one of our specialties and one of the things we enjoy doing most.
You can always enjoy going to a Mexican restaurant in Missoula or the surrounding area.  The most authentic place we’ve discovered is La Mas Fina (Address: 1026 U.S. 93, Victor, Mt 59875     Phone:(406) 961-4997) which is a little hole in the wall near the small town of Corvallis, Montana in the Bitterroot Valley.  We also enjoy going to El Casador, in downtown Missoula as well as Fiesta En Jalisco which is on Missoula’s south side closer to our bed and breakfast.
On Friday evenings, it’s fun to enjoy Missoula’s First Friday and catch a bite to eat beforehand at El Casador!