Chicken Tortilla Soup

Several years ago I came across @thepioneerwoman blog and was inspired to try my hand at cooking. Her witty banter with herself and the way she talked about food made me feel like I had found my long lost sister. So it was no surprise that one of the first things I learned to successfully cook was her Chicken Tortilla Soup. Here’s my version of it. *Recipe* - 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded - 1 T vegetable oil - 3 onions finely chopped - 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped - 1 jalapeño finely chopped - 2 t cumin powder - 1 t chili powder - 1/2 t oregano - 1/2 t salt - 3 T tomato paste - 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes - 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes - 2 cans of black beans - 2 c frozen corn - 4 cups of chicken stock

•In a large pot heat your oil. Once the oil is hot, add your onions, garlic, and jalapeño and cook. Once they have softened, add your spices, or two sachets of taco seasoning and cook for 1 min. I prefer adding my own spices to control the sodium content. •To the spice mixture add your cans of tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a medium low. Simmer uncovered for 35 mins. Turn of eat and carefully ladle half your soup base into a blender (or use hand blender) and blend smooth. Totally optional but I like the velvety texture. •To this, add your shredded chicken, corn, beans, and continue to cook for an additional 20 mins. I boiled my chicken in some whole spices and vegetables and reserved the stock myself. You can use a rotisserie chicken and stock you buy. Whatever is convenient for you.

Let it rest off the heat for 10 mins before serving. For garnish you can use: - Fried tortilla strips (I just used crushed tortilla chips) - Sour cream - Colby jack cheese - Cilantro - Avocado - Lime wedges