Soup du Jour

I love soup.  To me, it’s a bowl of comfort.  Warm and inviting.  Rich and hearty.  Spicy and nourishing.  And yep, like risotto, oysters & cheese, soup gets it’s own tag : )

This is a simple, but amazing recipe given to me by my friend Rebecca, who is a HATER of onions and cilantro and will be the first to tell you I completely ruined her recipe–ha!!!

By the way, this soup is great way to repurpose left over chicken.  And is great in vegetarian form as well–either as is sans chicken or, if you wanted the protein, you could saute silken tofu with onions, garlic, and spices.

Tortilla Soup

• 1 onion
• 12 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
• 4 cups water (this is to cook the chicken initially, so you can leave it out if you’re using left over or canned chicken or making a veggie version)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1.5 tsp chili blend
• 1.5 cups corn
• 1.5 cups tomatoes, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 bunch of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
• freshly ground black pepper
• tortilla chips (I like to use either the blue ones for a pop of color or the strips)
• shredded cheddar
• avocado slices

In a stock pot, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add the chicken, cooking until chicken is lightly brown on both sides.  Add water to ensure chicken is completely covered (you may need a bit more).  Cook until chicken is done (about 30 or so minutes). Turn heat to low. Pull chicken out of pot and set to the side to cool a bit.  Add stock, spices, corn, tomatoes,  beans, and chilies. Carefully shred the chicken (or dice, which ever you prefer) and add back into the pot.  On low heat, allow soup to cook another 10-15 minutes.  Add the cilantro.  Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips, cheese, and avocado.  Provencho!