Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy
• 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
• 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.

I read every single review (all 114) prior to making this soup, so I changed a few things. It turned out wonderfully!! Here's how I did it: I diced two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cooked them prior to starting with the olive oil, 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup diced onion. Then I added 4 cans condensed chicken broth (many people said the soup was very thick - chili-like consistency, and I wanted more of a soup). I also added a can of water (filled a broth can with water). I added the crushed tomatoes (28 oz), the hominy (15 oz), the diced green chili peppers (4 oz), 1 tsp each of cumin (instead of oregano as many reviewers suggested), lime juice and garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp of chili powder. I brought to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour (as others also suggested). Top with shredded monterey jack cheese and garnish w/ tortilla chips.

Tomato Soup

I always hated tomato soup from a can, but when I lived in Utah there was a cafe that had the yummiest tomato soup, and I always craved it when we moved to Portland. So one afternoon I had a bunch of girlfriends over for a playdate, and I tried out a homemade tomato soup recipe for the first time. It turned out pretty good, but I've since switched to the Elephant's Deli tomato orange soup recipe.

Serve it with grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough bread. Mmm mmm good.

Elephant Deli Tomato Orange Soup

1/4 cup butter

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 T. fresh thyme

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup of heavy cream (see notes)

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the diced onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor or blender. (I use my Braun hand blender and do it right in the pan.) Return to pan and stir in the orange juice. Heat through. Stir in the cream and serve.

Notes: don't substitute the cream with half and half or milk. It will leave a weird texture. If you want to lighten it up, omit the cream entirely.