P52 - Week 4 - Soul Food

To say it has been a mild winter is a pretty big understatement this year. We had 1 weekend where things got cold, but for the most part, we've been pretty consistently above average. However, we have had a couple of cool days off and on. And when the temperatures start to drop, I can't help but crave a warm bowl of soup. This one shown here is one of my favorites:


This is my favorite, super-easy, always-pleasing Chicken Tortilla Soup (pictured here minus the tortillas - I don't add those until the last minute).

And this is the recipe, for those who also crave a bowl of comfort food for the soul:

Ingredients:
1 - tsp olive oil
1 - cup diced yellow onion
2 - cloves garlic, minced
1 - 15 oz can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
.5 cup - julienned zucchini
3 - cups chicken broth
2 - cups diced/shredded chicken (cooked) - I use boiled, roasted, or even canned chicken
1 - 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
.5 - tsp black pepper
.5 - tsp chipotle chile powder
.25 - tsp cumin
.25 - tsp sea salt (optional)
1 - cup cilantro, diced

Directions:
1. put olive oil in soup pan and saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
2. add next 8 ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil.
3. reduce heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, add cilantro, and serve.
4. garnish with crispy tortilla strips, if desired.

I will say that, often, we eat this without the tortilla strip garnish. Sometimes we'll add about a quarter cup of white rice to a bowl instead and serve it that way. But regardless of how you serve it, this is a bowl of the good stuff that will warm you from the inside out!

Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!