Tortilla Soup. Meatless Monday.

Happy Monday!  I cannot believe it’s the last day of March!  Seriously, where did this month go?  Wow.  Well it looks like I’ll be battling my husband’s cold he shared with me as we approach April, which is fine as the weather looks to be improving on the East Coast.  I have so many recipes that I have backlogged to share with you all.  Make  sure you check back often as a new recipe will be posted each day Monday through Friday.

Today I thought I would pick a Meatless Monday selection that I made last week.  It was a cross between a soup I make and one from my newly purchased cookbook Oh She Glows (which I highly recommend if you are vegan or are looking for delicious plant-based recipes).  This recipe is super easy and flexible.  You can add or delete as you go and customize to your needs.  This soup is great for Meatless Mondays if you try to do a meatless day during the week.  If not, cook some ground turkey or beef and add it for a meat version.

Super filling and protein/vitamin rich!  I served this with sprouted sweet potato tortilla chips for dipping and crunching.  My family (kids included) all loved this!

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (for drizzling in your Dutch oven pan)
1 onion, diced (I prefer yellow or red)
6 cloves of garlic, mine were small – minced
1 red, yellow or green bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a jalapeño, diced (optional)
1 cup of organic frozen corn
1 zucchini, diced
1 -24 oz can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (organic, low sodium if you can find it)
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup (YES that’s correct) of ground cumin, use less if you don’t like it
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon, cayenne powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 -15 ounce can of red kidney beans or a can of black beans (whichever you prefer)

Optional toppings:

Avocado, diced
Red onion, diced
Fresh cilantro leaves
Crushed tortilla chips
Cheddar cheese (for a vegetarian option – I suggest Cabot’s Chipotle Cheddar to add a nice smoky flavor to the soup)

Directions:

Drizzle the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and let that get hot.  Then add your onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add the garlic, pepper, jalapeño, corn and zucchini.  Cook for another 4-6 minutes, stirring often.  Then add the remaining ingredients. Give a good stir and let that come to a boil.  Turn the temperature down to a simmer and cover.  I let this cook as little as 45 minutes or as long as several hours before serving.

You can serve this with tortilla chips, fresh tortillas, cornbread or whatever you prefer.  This hearty soup is packed with great nutrients.  This soup gets better the next day and if you have too many leftovers, it freezes perfectly.

— Knead to Cook