Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last night we served chicken tortilla soup with fresh chips (corn tortillas cut in wedges and fried & salted) and salsa, a friend of ours Kathy L. came and made it at my request.  And an excellent job she did too! (I will save the salsa recipe/making for another post later).  We also served rice but at home, I usually do not make rice for this meal.  Other condiments were shredded cheese, sliced Jalapeno, avocado, etc...
I won't bore you with the bulk preparation but walk you thru a recipe that's close to mine that is from allrecipes.com: chicken tortilla soup  -->

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder

I omitted the chili powder and use chipotle peppers or roasted cumin instead -- much better taste I think
In order to spice things up consider crushing or using powdered chipotle peppers.  Chipotle peppers are smoked & dried Jalapeno peppers, not as hot but great smoky taste.
Also consider using a non-stick pan, dry, heated up for toasting some cumin seeds to add whole to soup or grind up...this develops a greater taste than just adding some cumin powder.

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Alright, last I checked these following products started becoming more available in grocery stores, I prefer Muir Glen, but I have not tasted the Hunts brand Fire Roasted Tomatoes.   *Or see below how to 'oven-roast' your own

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy

If you are not a hominy person, leave it out

• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• crushed tortilla chips

In an earlier post I noted Chili's chips are a good pickup option without costing much and being 'same day' fresh

• 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, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

The way I like to eat it is to put some chips in the bottom of the bowl, put the soup on top, a little cheese, slice of avocado, then (if you have limes) a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top.

*  Oven Roast your own tomatoes!  Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C). Cut tomatoes in half, toss with olive oil to coat, and place, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Roast for 1-1/2 hours, until the tomatoes are soft and have just begun to exude their juices. Cool, remove the skins, and pack into a container. They keep for several days, refrigerated.  I am sure you can find several uses for them!