Chicken Tortilla Soup

   My cousin had her baby! She is so cute. We have only seen her in pictures because she came so sudden and I was sick so we'll have to wait for our family dinner before we get to see her. It's gonna be kind of weird having baby in the family seeing as i'm the baby and i'm 17. My mom will love having a baby in the family since she has baby fever; she goes gaga over them.

  I have also been experimenting with some items that we got from our co-op like these Lychee Popsicles (i'm still tweaking the recipe), but seeing that most of my posts lately have been of sweet items I thought I should throw in a savory one.

   I made this soup last week and it was good. I thought about using canned tomatoes and adding in jalapenos so I could manage the heat, but instead I used a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies. And it was the hot version so my dad (who can't handle any kind of heat) only had a few bites. Oops. But my mom and I enjoyed it.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

                                             Created by Rayna of Curious Country Cook
                                                                          Serves: 6

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 12 oz chicken, cooked and chopped
• 1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained
• 1 (10 oz) can rotel diced tomatoes & chilies OR 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes & add in some chopped jalapeno to get the heat you prefer 
• 32 oz low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• juice of 1 small lime
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• a few tortillas, cut into thin strips

Extras: lime slices, avocado, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, red onion, tortilla chips, extra cilantro

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes before adding in the garlic. -If you are using jalapeno, add it in with the onions to cook.

2. Pour in the rotel/tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and bring to a boil. 

3.  Slowly add in the chicken,corn, chicken stock, water and bring to a boil before lowering the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes before serving.

4. 5 minutes before serving add in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste to adjust seasonings. 

5.  Add some tortilla strips into each bowl before adding the soup. Top off each bowl with some extras.

Note: Dairy products like sour cream and cheese help cut the heat in spicy dishes.