Recipe: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I adapted my family's prized chicken tortilla soup recipe into a vegetarian version that, believe it or not, has just as much flavor. I love this soup because it's spicy and flavorful, easy to make, healthy if you don't go cray on the cheese (it happens) and can be played around with quite a bit.  It is now my go-to recipe when I want to impress. This recipe makes roughly 4-5 bowls of soup.

Ingredients:

1 large green bell pepper

1 large yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

10 jalapeno slices (from a jar)

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 can of whole tomatoes, with juice

4 cans of vegetable broth

1-1.5 tbsp. chili powder 

1-1.5 tbsp. cumin

1.5 c. corn (I use frozen, thawed)

avocado

mozzarella cheese 

corn tortilla chips

cilantro (optional)

lime (optional)

Optional but You Won't Be Disappointed Secret Ingredient: Muzzy's Magic Jalapeno Seasoning. I special order the stuff and put it on everything!

Okay, so:

1. Thinly slice the green bell pepper and onion, mince the garlic. Put vegetable oil in the bottom of a soup pot and place on the stovetop at medium heat. Add garlic, pepper, onions and jalapenos (a little jalapeno juice is a good thing) to the pot. Stir until onions begin to caramelize. 

2. Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, chili powder and cumin to the pot. Use a spatula to sort of cut the tomatoes into halves. Add about 10 shakes of Muzzy's Magic. Bring soup to a barely-there boil and then turn down to low and simmer for 15-30 minutes. Add corn. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and see if you want to add more cumin / chili powder / Muzzy's Magic. Simmer for 5 minutes longer if you do. 

3. Place a handful of tortilla chips in a bowl, top with mozzarella cheese. Fill the bowl with soup and top with avocado slices, lime slices, and cilantro.

Could it be any easier? I don't think so. Enjoy with Mexican beer! 

Soup, Soup ba-doop, Soup ba-doop, Soup ba-doop ba-doop ba-doop

The weather is getting cold, the leaves are changing, and nothing sounds better than hot soup. Mmmm, soup. And lots of blankets. And a really good book. And Uggs - real ones, not the knock-offs. And a wood-burning fire. And a golden retriever laying in front of it. And Christmas. Wait... not yet.

My point is, it's the appropriate time to share something with y'all: A tried and true recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup from my high school Home Ec class. It is bomb.

Chicken Tortilla Soup ~ from Texas (so it's totally legit!)

(Makes about 4-5 servings)

Ingredients:
2 cans chicken broth

2 cans beef broth
1 lb boneless chicken breast, boiled and pulled apart into pieces

1 can of sliced tomatoes, with juice
1 yellow onion, sliced into thin rings
5-10 jarred jalapeno slices, with some juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp + 2 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

avocado

few leaves of cilantro (optional)

mozzarella cheese

tortilla chips

1 large pot that you would use to cook chili in... (stock pot, maybe?)

Put oil in the bottom of the pot, then set on the stove at medium heat. Add onions, jalapenos and garlic, stirring occasionally until onions are browned. Add chicken broth and beef broth. Add canned tomatoes and chicken. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Raise heat until soup is hot - steaming but not boiling. Add more chili powder/cumin/jalapeno juice to make to your liking of spiciness.
Put tortilla chips in the bottom of the soup bowl~ pour soup into bowl and put mozzarella cheese, cilantro and avocado on the top.

Enjoooooooooooy.