Tortilla Soup

I don't know about you, but my favorite soup is Tortilla Soup. I discovered it when I moved to California 8 years ago. I can't believe I had never had it prior. I grew up on Beef stew, chicken noodle, clam chowder, and some kind of vegetable medley in Nebraska. Needless to say, those were so blahh to me. This was a whole new world to me! (:
I made this for dinner tonight, and my husband said it was "like a party in his mouth." This recipe is super quick and easy to make. Enjoy!

 

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 Tsp Cumin 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth 1 1/4 cups water 1 1/2 cup  whole frozen corn

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers 1 (15 ounce) can black beans or Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 Lime 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces* crushed tortilla chips sliced avocado shredded Monterey Jack cheese chopped green onions

Directions:

	1.) In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
	2.) In a separate pan, have the chicken cut up in strips and cook on medium low for about 8 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. 3.) Stir in corn, chiles, beans, cilantro, lime and chicken into the sauce pan with with onion and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes.*
	4.) Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, cilantro and chopped green onion.   **I like my tortilla soup well blended, so if you decide you would like to do the same; after step 2, I place all the ingredients in the blender to puree it, then place it back on the stove top to simmer for 10 minutes.