Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

I know, I know, it feels like an oven outside and who wants to eat soup this time of year. But it's the only thing I've cooked recently that I actually took a pic of and at least as far as soups go, its pretty refreshing thanks to all the lime. Lime is a favorite around here and instead of that little garnish, you actually squeeze quite a bit into the soup, delish! And this doesn't have huge chunks of random veggies like at some restaurants. Don't you hate when you order Chicken Tortilla soup and there's huge pieces of carrots and celery and none of the good stuff? Well, here is the recipe:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
- A couple of marinated and grilled chicken breast
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 cans chicken broth
- 1 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 jalapenos
- 1/4 c. fresh lime juice- must be FRESH!
- salt and pepper
- tortilla chips
- grated cheese
- avocado
- a handful of cilantro

Marinate and grill your chicken- can be done ahead. I put a couple breast into a big ziplock bag with lime juice, crushed garlic,and a splash of vinegar. Then before grilling sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. In a large stockpot (or your beloved Le Crueset pot like mine), heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and minced jalapeno and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, chop the cilantro, and cut up the avocado(sprinkle with lime so they don't turn brown). Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings. Enjoy!

And after eating healthy soup that night we treated ourselves to these yummy desserts!

Key Lime Tarts!

Love,
Apes