GET ON BOARD
Customise your every dish with bountiful spreads that make the perfect sharing feast
CREATE LOVELY AND DELICIOUS food boards that bring everyone around the table and spark meaningful family-time meals. Through stunning recipes and hosting tips from Sandy Coughlin, founder of the recipe and hospitality blog, Reluctant Entertainer, Big Boards for Families shows you how to artfully craft and serve food boards to your close friends and family.
Piece together these bountiful spreads with a variety of ingredients and options that allow you and your guests to customise every dish.
Whether it's for a morning brunch or movie-night get-together, you and your family will find more than 50 splendid food boards to create and enjoy together.
EASY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP BOARD
I love to get a pot of tortilla chicken soup simmering on the stove and invite a few friends over for lunch.
Many of the soup ingredients are already stocked in the pantry, and it's easy to keep chicken in the freezer.
It all comes together on the board with the soup, your favourite toppings, and good dipping chips.
Beautiful and festive, it's perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
To save time, make the soup the night before. It's easy to reheat and delicious.
Ingredients FOR THE BOARD:
60–66cm food board
1 cup (120g) grated Mexican cheese 1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup (16g) chopped cilantro
1 cup (240g) sour cream
1 cup (240ml) salsa
1 or 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced Tortilla chips
FOR THE EASY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP:
2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (960ml) chicken broth 2 cans (420g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes 2 cans (420g) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 425g can corn, drained
1 tbsp cumin, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 whole chicken breasts or 2 to 3 cups (280 to 420g) chopped rotisserie chicken 2 cups (240g) shredded cheese (use your favorite)
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Method BOARD ASSEMBLY:
Place a hot pad in the centre of the board for the pot of soup. Arrange the toppings in small bowls on the board. Fill in the open space with tortilla chips.
Right before serving, set the pot of soup on the board. Ladle soup into bowls and let each guest add their favourite toppings.
EASY CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP:
In a large pot, heat the oil over mediumlow heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add the remaining soup ingredients to the pot, except for the cheese, salt and pepper, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer the soup for 1 hour.
Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Put back into the pot. If using rotisserie chicken add it in now. Stir in the shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
— 8 or more servings
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