Tortilla (or no tortilla) Soup

Mexican food is one of my greatest weaknesses. I crave it alot----if I'm starving, hungover, lazy and want takeout, or just in the mood for a fun dinner with friends.  The problem is that I can't ever refrain from ANYTHING if I go out to eat a mexican restaurant. Thank G I'm not much of a margarita girl, but I always have to have a cold beer. Can't turn down the salty, addictingly crunchy chips with a spicy, roasted garlic salsa. Must have tons of guacamole--most likely even a second order. Enchiladas....cheese please. I'll prob have one of your hot tortillas if you get fajitas. And hopefully someone will order me fried ice cream or a sopapilla or tres leches for dessert.

So...the only way to keep myself in check is to limit the number of times I can get Mexican food.  Or I can make it myself. Louis will tell you that when we first met he didn't believe I could cook. After our first date, I offered to make him dinner at my friend Brittany's house (I lived in the sorority house and had no kitchen). He begged me not to cook---fearing that his palate couldn't handle my creation. I gave him no other choice and made probably one of the few things I knew how to make at that point, chicken enchiladas. Of course they were delicious because who can really screw up fried, tortilla, cheesy goodness. I think I won him over  that night. However, a few years into the tons of enchiladas, baked zitis, pies, cupcakes, cookies and many other crazy, fattening things I liked to cook, I decided it was necessary that I branch out a bit and start to look into some healthier options.

These days, mexican food at our house is usually a ground turkey taco salad. Or....in last night's case---Tortilla Soup, without the tortilla. You can of course have the tortilla chips, because you really only need a few crunchies on top. But, me, a woman with little self restraint, cannot risk eating the entire bag of chips. So I don't.

Enough of my chatter...you should try this. It's perfect for a cold, rainy day, and it makes alot so you'll most likely have leftovers.

Prep time: 10-20 minutes (if you have the chicken shredded in advance or have someone who can shred it while you do the veggies, then it'll only take about 10 minutes)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings:6-8

What you need:
1 zuchinni
1 bunch of scallions (about 4-5)
1 white onion
2 bell peppers(I love the yellow, orange and red ones since they have the most flavor)
1 rotisserie chicken (You can also just bake & shred chicken but rotisserie saves time and I don't love handling raw chicken so this works best for me.)
1 can of corn, rinsed
2 cans of diced tomatoes
8 ounces of tomato sauce (not pictured)
2 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth (I used the whole carton)
3/4-1 cup of cheese, mix of white cheddar and cheddar (depends how much you like!)
2 teaspoons taco seasoning (you can also use a mix of chili powder and cayenne)
1 teaspoon cumin
garlic
salt & pepper
olive oil
optional toppings: avacado, sour cream

Here's what you do:
Chop all vegetables
Sautee garlic and onion for about 3 minutes, until fragrant
Add the rest of the vegetables (leave out 1/2 of the scallions for a topping)
Stir occasionally for 5 minutes
Add corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce, & chicken broth
Bring to a boil
Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, cumin, taco seasoning, salt & pepper and shredded chicken
Once cheese is melted, lower heat and simmer until you are ready to eat
Top with cheddar cheese, scallions, avocado, and sour cream!

 

*Louis suggested adding shredded carrots to give it a little crunch in place of the tortilla chips. I'll try that with my leftovers and let you know how it goes.


Do you know make any mexican food recipes that are healthy and don't take too long to prepare?


Have a beautiful weekend everyone!!