Tortilla Soup
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/4400529386/
We were running a little low on time last night after the gym, grocery shopping, changing out license plates from MA to NY, doing laundry, bills, uploading and editing photos, and regular cleaning things that had to be done. It was one of “those nights.” Anyways, I wanted to cook something that was pretty easy but tasty. My default for these kinds of meals are usually a soup of some sort. I have never made a Tortilla soup before so I was pretty excited to try this. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! I loved it!! I think it was a new thing for Kev but he is always a good sport and ate it all and said he liked it. I grilled him some chicken with some chilli powder on it and then cut it up and added it to his soup.
I think my favorite part was the handmade tortilla strips. They added so much and were so much better than added like corn chips or something. I do with there was a magical spell to ripen avocados right when you need them because it always seems like the grocery store never has ripe ones when you need them. I am not that good of a planner to get them days in advanced to let them ripen.
Tortilla Soup:
1 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
4 cups vegetable broth
2-3 cups water
3 cups pinto beans, cooked
salt to taste
6 corn tortillas
1 large lime, cut into 6 wedges
1 ripe large avocado, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
4 cups chopped spinach, chard, or kale leaves
1. Add can of tomatoes to a blender.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook till brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Pour it all into the blender along with the chilli powder and process until smooth.
3. Pour mixture back into sauce pot and heat on medium. Stir consistently for about 5 mins. Let thicken. Add broth, water, oregano (if using), and drained pinto beans. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortillas. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut each tortilla in half (can be done in a stack if you have a sharp knife). Then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Place the strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt,pepper, a little chilli powder or cumin if you want. Bake for about 15 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven.
5. Add spinach (or chard or kale) to the soup. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes or so depending.
Serve the soup topped with avocado and tortilla chips in soup bowls. Serve with lime wedges. It taste awesome to squeeze juice of 1-2 lime wedges in soup. MMmmmm Enjoy!
