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

Book Review: The Screwtape Letters

Our homegroup started our 2nd study a couple months ago. We finished up Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas and decided to work through The Screwtape Letters. I've always wanted to read this book but honestly C.S. Lewis has always intimidated me. I've attempted Mere Christianity before and couldn't make it past the first couple of pages. Well we had to work through the book pretty fast to stick with our meeting schedule which I think actually helped me get through it. This book was quite the eye-opener. Basically it is letters written between two demons, an uncle to his nephew, trying to educate him on the manipulation of humans. They are writing to a man who just became a Christian and they call him their "patient". It is an intricate portrait of the evil forces working against believers at all times and really makes you reflect on what is really going on around us. Each chapter is only 3-4 pages and typically covers one subject- family, friends you surround yourself with, sex, time, fear/anxiety, church, etc. It is crazy to think that your mind can be controlled by evil whether it be distractions, manipulation of thoughts, or temptations. This was probably one of my favorite books just because of the knowledge and insight I gained from reading it. It forces you to rely on God even more for protection and strength. After reading the book our leaders asked us to write our own letter between two demons with ourselves being the "patient". Wow, what a process. The letter almost became half testimony and half analysis of sins we struggle with and how the devil can tempt us. It forced me to work through my past and then associate that with what I struggle with now. I was able to pinpoint my weaknesses where I am most likely to be tempted. Each week our homegroup gets together, we split up in guys and girls and share a couple of letters. It allows us to get to know everyone's backgrounds and where we can step in as a family in Christ and help each other, whether it be encouragement, prayer or anything one would need. As we call it on our group, it's "going deeper" :) Anyways, definitely pick up a copy of this book and stick with it, it won't disappoint!