Chicken Tortilla Soup

I LOVE chicken tortilla soup and one evening I was having a fabulous bowl of it at my in-laws place. Seriously..it was soo good and perfect. I asked Zach's mom how to make it...since I love it so much why didn't I ever make it, right? She briefly told me what I can put in it and explained how easy it was. I finally tried a few months ago and have perfected it to my liking since!

Ok, so start with whatever broth you might have in the pantry, chicken or veggie will do just fine.

1. Season your broth to your liking. I usually sauté garlic and onion in a little butter and olive oil BEFORE I even put the broth in...it really brings out the flavor that way.
- salt and pepper
- fresh herbs (or dry herbs)
- seasoned salt
- paprika
- a tiny bit of cayenne pepper (I prefer my soup a little more spicy than normal)
- red pepper flakes
- chili powder (definitely remember to put these last three ingredients in...you can't have chicken tortilla soup without them!)
- cumin
- your favorite salsa

2. Bring it all to a boil and add in whatever else you like.
- chicken (already cooked chicken is probably easier than raw, so you don't have to wait so long)
- corn
- black beans or white beans (I, personally love white beans, but my hubs hates them, so I NEVER end up using them. Sad.)

3. Let everything simmer for a little bit so the flavors can mingle and the last ingredients have time to heat up (the longer it simmers the better tasting it will be)

4. I'll toast up some tortilla strips and throw them in my bowl when I actually eat the soup...you don't want to let it sit in the pot, they just get mushy and slimy. Sprinkle your fav. cheese on there too...soo good! Parmesan is SUPER yummy in it, but the real kind you have to shred...not the shredded one in the green packaging that I know we all love at some point in our lives...it's just not the same though! I get pretty spoiled with having good cheese around since Zach works in Specialty (it's mainly cheese) at Whole Foods. :)

Once you get your broth to the way you like it...its really just cumin, chili powder and salsa that you can add to any soup and it will taste like a tortilla soup. You can play with it and really shape it to your family's liking and never have to be restricted to "one" recipe...the possibilities are endless!

Lately, I've been making it without the chicken, corn (not Zach's favorite), butter and cheese and with just veggie broth, however, I personally think the chicken broth has a lot more flavor...Zach has been on an all vegan diet for the last few months, so I can easily turn this soup into a meal that he can have...YES! Sprinkle a bit of nutritional yeast instead of cheese, it tastes just like cheese, has a ton of b-vitamins and is a complete protein..super good for you too! And for all the nursing Mamas out there...nutritional yeast REALLY helps you produce more milk. You can sprinkle it on popcorn or eggs or make "faux quesadillas" with a tiny bit of olive oil to make it stick to the tortilla...have it anyway you like!!