Tortilla Soup

Life has been beyond crazy and not at the same time. I have been re-prioritizing how I get things done during my day and I truly have not been able to find a single spare moment for my blog and I apologize. Between work, training (Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim of the Grand Canyon), being a mom, working on our new project (brick oven for pizzas and a fire pit, I am so stoked, but yes, we are doing the ENTIRE thing ourselves), and enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having I have just been slammed. And now I am really behind on posting recipes and workouts. But it is always to have a few things on the back burner right?

Anyway, as I said before, I have been re-prioritizing the way I get things done. I have always been in the mentality of, do whatever is "impossible" to get done when my son is awake during nap time. This usually = housework, laundry, blog, sometimes exercise (but I usually do that when he is awake because I am running with him, or doing yoga/interval training while he plays with his cars and climbs on me.) However, I have decided the hardest thing to do while he is awake, is make dinner. So, I have started making dinner after lunch while he is asleep and it has changed my life because when he wakes up, I don't have to do it, and we can enjoy the rest of the day together playing and having adventures. I don't have to be cooking when my husband gets home from work, we can have awesome family time, especially now that it is light until almost 8 pm and it has been so warm. Because of this, the blog has been neglected, but family first. However, dinner is in the oven and my house is "clean" so I can get this done.

Anyway, so remember how I was craving Mexican food after New Zealand? Remember how it used to be winter? We are going back there with my tortilla soup recipe. This recipe originated from my cousin, Kris, however, I have changed it a lot over the past decade and I feel really comfortable calling it my recipe. And it is so good, so easy, and, like most of the food I make, all of the ingredients are things I almost always have on hand. This soup is great when you are in a pinch or just craving something warm and delicious. So, let's get our soup on.

PS: Did I mention it goes great with this corn bread?

Ingredients

Olive oil, for sauteing

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 (red or green) bell pepper, diced

1 c frozen corn

1 T ground cumin

1/2 - 1 T chili powder

pinch of salt

3 14 oz cans vegetable broth

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c cilantro, roughly chopped

2 limes, juiced

avocado, to garnish

hot sauce, optional

Directions

1. Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat, add onion, and bell pepper and saute until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, frozen corn, cumin, chili powder, and salt and saute until soft.

2. Add 2 cans of broth, tomatoes, and half of each can of beans. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or a normal blender).

4. Return to medium heat, add remaining beans, cilantro, and lime juice and simmer 5-10 minutes.

5. Serve topped with avocado, more cilantro, and hot sauce.

6. ENJOY