Tortilla Soup

Last week, it pretended to get cold. It was at that point I decided to make soup. My roommate requested that I make tortilla soup. So, voila.

Tortilla soup is one of those wonderful things that I did not discover until I moved to California. Though soups are typically eaten during the autumn and winter, this soup is very light. You can make it more cold-weather friendly by adding black beans or wild rice.

My college roommate came over to eat, but she got here too early and got stuck helping me prepare it! When all of the ingredients were in the pot, I was a little concerned because it did not seem like anything magical happened to transform my chicken broth with ingredients into actual tortilla soup. (I'm always a little nervous to try recipes I've never made before--especially when I have an audience).

Luckily, the soup came out REALLY delicious. I was just so happy that it actually had the flavor of tortilla soup! I topped it with a little cheddar and fresh avocado. And it was so easy, really. This recipe is a *winner*--something I would make over and over again.

Prep time/Cook time: about an hour (with four hands--thanks for helping Zoe!) Will take far less time if you cook the chicken ahead of time.
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 large servings

Recipe- Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 chipotle chile en adobo
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup corn (can or frozen OK)
1 tomato
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 limes
tortilla chips
cheddar (optional--for garnish)
avocado (optional--for garnish)

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Chop the onion, garlic and chipotle and saute in the oil. Add the chili powder and salt. Cook until the onion softens (five minutes). Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook for five more minutes. Pull from heat.

2. Chop the tomato and cilantro. Shred the baked chicken. Juice the limes. (To get all of the juice out of the limes, microwave for a few seconds and roll them on the counter). Add all of these ingredients to the pot with soup. Stir.

3. Ladle soup on top of crushed tortilla chips (only a few chips per bowl). Top with cheddar, avocado, sour cream, or anything you like. Enjoy!