FOFF Turn it Up Tortilla Soup

A joke to share (from my dad):

HYMN # 365 A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, ‘If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.’ With even greater emphasis he said, ‘And if I had All the wine in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.’ And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he Said, ‘And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and pour it into the river.’ Sermon complete, he sat down… The song leader stood very cautiously and announced With a smile, nearly laughing, ‘For our closing song, Let us sing Hymn #365, ‘Shall We Gather at the River.’

Fusion of Food and Friends is Carla Vavala’s cook book that will make everyone look forward to appetizers, salads, dinners, and desserts. We’re loving the results from this book!

This week, on page 23, “Turn it Up Tortilla Soup”.  An easy recipe that uses chicken (I used Tuna), tomatoes, an assortment of flavors, and finished with homemade crispy corn tortilla strips.  You need your crock pot for this recipe

or a large pot that you can leave on low for 3 – 4 hours.

Serves 4

• 1 lb shredded, cooked chicken (I used 2 x 24 oz cans of tuna packed in water)
• 15 oz whole peeled tomatoes, mashed (I used a 15 oz can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes)
• 10 oz medium enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 oz chopped green chili peppers (didn’t have so these didn’t make it into our soup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 15 oz chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
• 10 oz frozen corn (I used a 10 oz can Mexican style corn)
• 2 TBS fresh cilantro (and some to garnish)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pkg. corn tortillas
• Canola oil (I used olive oil)

Shred the chicken and place in crockpot. If using tuna, simply drain and add to the crock pot.

Add the tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, chilies, garlic, water, broth.

Season with the cumin, chili powder, salt and  pepper.  Stir in the corn and cilantro.

Rest the bay leaves on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 – 4 hours.

Ten minutes prior to serving, preheat the oven to 400 deg. Brush the tortillas with oil then cut into strips.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until golden.

Sprinkle on top of soup to serve.

Such a healthy dish.  It was easy to make, a one pot meal usually is.  It was very enjoyable to eat, in fact, both of us went back for seconds.

I’ve seen other versions of tortilla soup.  If you’ve ever made it, let’s hear all about your version.

Next week:  Vegetarian all the way, in fact, it’s down right Vegan (at least the way I make it).  Portuguese Soup.  Look for it!