Friday’s Recipe: Tortilla Soup (Yep, it’s Vegan!)

As many of you know, I moved to the desert southwest this summer. It has been quite the change from the midwest. Although I am a very picky eater, I have been experimenting around town testing out local flavors. The latest dish I tried was a tortilla soup. Now, if you have never had tortilla soup, I highly recommend it.

There are 2 different ways you can make it. As you can see from my picture on the left, I am definitely not a good food photographer…doesn’t give justice to how tasty this is! I made it more like a stew. When I first had this at the restaurant, it was more of a soup. Make it in the way you are in a mood for! (For a soup add more water and instead of just dumping all the ingredients in, blend the diced tomatoes in a blender and smoosh the chickpeas with a fork which will give you more of a soup consistency!)

I made it for me and my husband this past weekend because I loved it so much when I first had it at the restaurant. However, I did not have the recipe and had to do a little research online (I am not a chef so I do look up recipes online like you).

I will come right out and tell you that I did find about 4 recipes that really sounded close to the restaurants secret recipe. But, there was always something in the recipe that would either make it too complicated or not vegan. So, trying to be a good little wifey, I set out to make my own that would please my meat and potatoes kinda hubby AND be simple that anyone could do.

And I am surprised to say, it turned out great! My hubby actually said it could be a fall/winter staple in our household. SCORE!

(BTW…here is a great fall/winter dessert! Not-so-guilty apple cake! YUM!)

Well, here is the ultimate vegan tortilla soup that won’t be ‘burning your mouth’ spicy!

AMBER’S AWESOMELY VEGAN TORTILLA SOUP

1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 can diced green chilies

1 green bell pepper (diced)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1 medium yellow onion (chopped)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

water (as needed)

3- 8inch 100% whole wheat tortillas

Veggie shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

 

1. If you would like the soup rather than the stew, blend the entire contents of the diced tomatoes into a blender until smooth. Next, take your fork to the chickpeas that you just drained and rinsed and mash until desired consistency.
2. Combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, chilies, and vegetable broth into a large saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Add remaining ingredients, except for tortillas, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
5. Tear tortillas into small pieces as you add it to the soup and cook for 10 minutes or until they have fallen apart and have thickened the soup.
6. Add more water as necessary.
7. Add the veggie cheddar cheese as a garnish.

 

 —>  QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is your favorite fall/winter dish? <—

(Leave a comment below!)

P.S. If you have a question about nutrition or a starting a plant-based diet, and would like to see your question answered on this blog, send your question to Amber or contact Amber on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter!

 

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