Soup….Good, Healthy, Yummy, Soup

I love soup.  Soups have always been, hands down, my favorite thing to cook.   When I owned my cafe, my favorite thing each day was coming up with new soup recipes.  With a winter that won’t stop, I thought I’d share my newest recipe.  I’m sure someone can think of a better name, but I’ll just call it: Chicken Tortilla and Rice Soup.  It’s full of vegetables, fiber and protein, with no oil, added fat, wheat or dairy.  Just the kind of thing to help the Spring Break shorts fit well.  We’re on a 4 week count down….

Chicken Tortilla & Rice Soup

You will need:

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 2 small zucchini- diced
• A handful of shredded carrots- dice them up
• 2/3 cup corn- frozen or fresh
• 1 16 oz. container of Jack’s garden fresh gourmet  salsa
• 1/2 cup- 2/3 cup dried short grain brown rice
• Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• 1  4 oz. can diced green chiles
• 1  15 oz can black beans or white kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons Ancho chili powder
• 2 tablespoons crushed garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• 30 soft corn tortillas (fold groups of ten in half and then slice thinly into strips)
• Meat from one rotisserie chicken (or cook a 3-3.5 pound chicken)

Place rice, diced vegetables, salsa, corn and stock all in a large stock pot and set to boil.  Upon boiling, reduce heat to a low boil.

Cook for about 40 minutes.

Add spices, green chiles and 3 whole chipotle peppers in adobe sauce.  Cook for 5 more minutes, remove peppers from soup (if you love spicy- chop them up and throw one, two or all back  in!)

Add the beans and chicken.

Add corn tortillas, cut into strips

Cook 5-10 more minutes.

Flavor with your favorite salt seasoning.

Garnish how you like.  We use avocado and cilantro.  Cheese and sour cream would be good.

Feel free to modify.  Believe me, I modify every recipe!

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