tortilla soup

If it’s spicy enough for me to start sweating, I’m a happy girl! Yes, I love my spice. I particularly love it when it’s in soup form–something about spicy liquid that feels cleansing. Of course many spices have anti-inflammatory properties, so this could be part of that innate feeling I get when the soup slides down my throat and lulls me into a calm.

My tortilla soup is one of those calming, but invigorating soups. And of course, it’s easy:

• Saute 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp cumin, 1 onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, and 1 yellow bell pepper in olive oil.
• Add 4 or 5 diced tomatoes, with their juices
• Add 12oz of green chili peppers
• Add a can of mexicorn
• Add 1/2 a fresh jalapeño or 8-10 diced, pickled jalapeños from a jar
• Add 7 cups of veggie broth
• Add juice of 2 limes
• Add 1/4 cup of orange juice
• Simmer for 30 minutes
• Add sliced avocado, a dallop of sour cream, and/or grated cheddar cheese with a crushed tortilla chips

Enjoy it anytime you need to cleanse, calm, and invigorate. Makes great leftovers too.

change of season tomato soup

Our weather has been wacky. Yours probably has been too. Our basil and tomatoes plants in the frontyard produced all Fall and “Winter” until just a few weeks ago. Thus, we have had some tomatoes lying around the counter begging to be used for something. As I’m a frequent sufferer of allergies and sinus headaches, I am also lucky enough to be extra susceptible to change-of-weather stuffiness. One thing that always helps my sinuses is the change of season tomato soup. It’s simple, delicious, and followed with 2 full glasses of water, it’s sure to knock that sinus headache away for awhile!

Change of Season Tomato Soup

4-5 tomatoes
1/2 cup of water
3 1/2 cups of tomato juice (I like the spicy kind)
1 videlia onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of soy/oat/whatever milk
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Saute the onion, garlic, butter, and olive oil until translucent. Add 4-5 tomatoes, diced, letting them brown with the onions. Add water and juice and let come to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 10 minutes, then add milk, cayenne, and black pepper. Let simmer for another 5-7 minutes before serving with a large glass of water with lemon.

Enjoy!