My favorite soup...

Since I have recently gone on a major diet (major for me, maybe not for health nuts) I have rediscovered my love/hate relationship for soup.  I'm not a HUGE soup fan.  However, cold weather gets me in the mood.  And, not to mention, soup is great for the diet.

I thought I'd share a recipe with you that I found a while back (it is a Neely's recipe, from FoodNetwork's Down Home with The Neely's).  I've made it a TON since I saw it.  I've tweaked it a little along the way and come up with an easy way to prepare it... with JUST ENOUGH HEAT.  

I'm a fan of spicy things, so you can use your discretion when preparing it for your family.

Gina's Hot and Spicy Tortilla Soup

Total prep time: about 30 minutes (I let mine simmer for an hour or so, but you can serve it immediately)

-2 tablespoons vegetable oil

-1 onion

-1 bell pepper (any color will do)

-1 jalapeno (you may seed it if you don't like too much heat; I choose not to)

-salt, black pepper

-3/4 teaspoon cumin

-32 ounce box of chicken broth

-1 (14.5 ounce) can diced Mexican style tomatoes + 1 can of water

-1 cup frozen corn or 1 small can of corn - I used Mexicorn this last time, but it doesn't really matter

-1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

-3 boneless chicken breasts

This is a one pot dish... I like that!  

Begin by poaching your chicken.  Remove and let cool.  Rinse pot.

Heat oil in same large pot on medium heat.

While oil is heating, prepare your veggies.  While you can chop these by hand, I use a food processor.  It's much easier and quicker.

Chop onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno.

Also, chop cilantro and place aside.

Saute the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno until the onions are translucent.

Add salt, pepper, and cumin.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes (which I chop in the food processor also to make sure they're not too chunky), one can of water, corn and cilantro.

Dice (or shred) the chicken and add it to the mix.  

That's it!  Let it cook together for at least 10 minutes before serving.  I usually let mine cook for about an hour.

You can top with sour cream and cheese, but I feel it's too heavy.  You can also squeeze in a little lime juice if you prefer.  I simply top mine with crumbled tortilla chips.

This is a healthy, filling soup with a KICK!

Hope you enjoy!