Tortilla Soup

  
When I lived in New Mexico, my favorite season was chili season. The time of year when all the chilis were harvested and roasted in the open air. My entire city would smell of roasted chilis. It was wonderful. Everyone would pick out their favorites, watch them be roasted, and freeze in smaller containers to enjoy all year. I miss it.

One of the things I learned to make with fresh chilis was tortilla soup. With Hatch chilis available in most cities, I still get to enjoy the yummy. Of course, I make my soup a bit more hearty these days. What you will need:

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS olive oil

28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

16 oz can small red beans

4 oz can mild green chilis, diced

2 not-chicken bouillon cubes

6 cups water

2 cups baby spinach

Shredded vegan mozzarella, I used Daiya

Vegan sour cream, I used Tofutti

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Tortilla chips

Sauté onion, chilis, and garlic with olive oil in a large soup pot on medium heat until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, bouillon, and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the burner and add spinach. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes to wilt. Stir. Ladle into a bowl and sprinkle cheese on top to melt. Layer a couple slices of avocado and dollop of sour cream on top. Serve with tortilla chips and crumble the chips on top just before beginning to devour. Yummers!