Chicken Tortilla Soup

Some of my favorite things to make when the weather starts to get a little chilly - soup and pies. Okay, who I am I fooling I make pies all year round!

Last night I made Chicken Tortilla Soup - I even have leftovers to heat up for dinner tonight. Yah me!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

1 (32 ounce) carton of chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups of shredded and chopped rotisserie chicken

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

3 roma tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup of milk

1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

Garnish Ideas:

shredded cheddar cheese

sour cream

cilantro

diced avocados

tortilla chips

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion and jalapeño and sauté for a few minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. 

Add chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and add chicken, tomatoes, bell pepper and black beans. Add milk, black beans and corn. Bring mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.

This is a really pretty soup. Put the soup in bowls and add desired garnishes.

I garnished the soup with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheddar cheese and avocado chunks. I had cilantro but I forgot to use it!

My husband likes his food a little spicy to he added a little hot sauce to his soup.

Leaf Shaped Tortilla Chips - Yes, It's Fall Y'all!

These are so easy and fun to make! Plus you just need a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas
Canola oil
Sea salt
Table salt
Leaf shaped cookie cutter
Pastry brush

Directions:

Using your leaf cookie cutter - start cutting out leaf shapes with the corn tortillas.

My leaf cookie cutter is really large.

I can only cut two leafs from each tortilla.

Once you cut out all of your leaf tortillas. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

Brush each leaf with a little canola oil and sprinkle with sea salt and table salt. Bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. If your cookie cutter is smaller you might want to bake at 350 degrees for 6 or 7 minutes.

The leaf tortillas should be a little golden. Place on a serving tray with a bowl of salsa or guacamole.

These are fun and easy to make! Your kids might want to help. And I like making these because they are baked instead of fried.

Heart Shaped Tortilla Chips

These are perfect for Valentine's Day!

You just need three ingredients yellow corn tortillas, sea salt and table salt and canola or olive oil.  You will also need a heart shaped cookie cutter and a pastry brush.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Using your heart shaped cookie cutter start cutting out heart shaped tortillas. 

Place the cut out hearts on a cookie sheet. Brush them gently with either olive or canola oil. Then sprinkle them generously with sea salt and table salt. Bake the chips for approximately 10 minutes. 

Start checking the them after five minutes, then every two minutes until they become slightly golden.

The rate they bake depends on the size of your hearts. 

What a great after school snack! Or lunch box treat!

You can make these chips in a variety of shapes and sizes. Check your cookie cutter collection for inspiration. Be creative.

I used one to decorate my husband's soup!