Recipe: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

This is a tasty soup that is similar to chili but lighter. Perfect for summer? Absolutely.

I call it tortilla soup, though I don’t usually put tortillas in it, because I don’t like soggy tortilla bits in my soup. The recipe started out as a legit tortilla soup, so I still call it that. And hey: if you like soggy tortilla bits in your soup, then have at it. It’s made for it.

Also, it says vegetarian in the title, but the only thing making it not vegan is that I garnish it with cheese and sour cream. Omit those or use vegan substitutes, and you’ve got yourself a tasty vegan soup, too!

For the meatatarians you can throw in a cup of shredded chicken, if you so choose.

The recipe as written is not very spicy- you can adjust the amount of jalapeno or other hot pepper to your taste.

tortilla soup

Ingredients

  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 6 0z mushrooms, diced
  • 1 medium sweet potato, diced
  • 15 oz can black beans
  • 32 oz can Dei Fratelli seasoned diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (I use BTB- mushroom or vegetable)
  • 1 dried guajillo pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.5 cups corn (I prefer fresh- 2 cobs should do, but canned works when it’s not in season)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • Optional Garnish: tortilla chips, cheese (I love Queso Chihuahua or mexican Quesadilla cheese- check the fancy cheese section of your supermarket), sour cream, diced avocado

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and salt and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno (I recommend wearing gloves when handling the jalapeno), and mushrooms.  Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the sweet potato, black beans, tomatoes, and broth and stir to combine.
  4. Add the guajillo and bay leaf. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the veggies are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
  5. Remove the guajillo and bay leaf. Add the corn, cilantro, and lime juice.
  6. Serve with cheese, sour cream, avocado, and tortilla chips. Oh, and cornbread. Gotta have cornbread.

Recipe: Vegetarian Potato Leek Soup

My own personal food pyramid would consist of soup, cheese, and chocolate. Imagine my horror when I first met Mr. Smarmy, and he declared that he didn’t like soup. HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE SOUP?!

I knew what I had to do. Through a series of mind control experiments, I have turned him into a monster whose insatiable hunger for soup is rivaled only by my own.

One of his favorites is potato leek soup – although, in fairness, it seems like he says whatever soup we are currently eating is his favorite. But! This is of particular importance because even after his initial concessions that Okay, he likes SOME soups, he was vehemently opposed to any sort of potato soup.

potato_leek_soup_recipe

I can’t blame him for changing his mind. This is a damn good soup. Velvety, creamy, leeky. If you’ve never had leeks, this is a perfect leek starter kit. They’re kind of onion-y, but it’s like they took all of the eye-burning meanness out of an onion and just left the tasty flavor.

The recipe says “vegetarian”. But of course, if you’re not a vegetarian, you can use chicken broth and throw in some bacon fat and even bacon itself. But having made this recipe before and after becoming a “mostly-vegetarian”, I can’t tell the difference. It’s just as good vegetated.Read more…

Recipe: Ginger Peach Cobbler with Cinnamon Swirl Biscuits

This cobbler is my favorite thing to make with peaches. The original recipe was the first peach cobbler I ever made, and I’ve tried lots of others since then, and this remains by and far my favorite.

The biscuit portion of other recipes always comes out too dough-y for my tastes. I like the way this one gets a crispness on the outside. It’s almost a combination between the traditional cobbler biscuit dough and a pie crust.

Plus, it looks really pretty with the swirled biscuits on top,  so it will  totally impress people at your next BBQ.

Here’s my twist on the original recipe, which mostly involves less sugar… I like to let the peaches be their sweet selves:Read more…