4 Cans + 15 Minutes =

Best Soup Ever!

We're smack-dab in the middle of yet another Colorado snow storm today. It's been snowing steady since 5am this morning (or maybe before, that's just when I got up) and I figure nothing says lovin' like a pot of my new favorite soup on the stove when Marc gets home from his hellish commute from Cheyenne: Veggie Mexican Tortilla Soup.

The recipe is simple:

1. Saute some chopped red onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil in your favorite big soup pot until it is soft.

2. Stir in a couple TB of tomato paste (this will give it extra rich tomato flavor, but if you don't have it, there's no need to call out for Chinese - leaving it out won't turn the soup into crap)

3. Now's the time to add any spices you might have on hand. Ground cumin is a fav of mine, but we're out (who thinks to buy spices on a weekly grocery run?) so I threw in a little chili powder and called it good.

4. Stir in a cup or so of frozen corn.

5. Here come the cans! Gently stir in the following:
One can black beans (drained and rinsed ... and organic of course!)
One can pinto beans (drained and rinsed ... and organic of course!)
One can vegetable broth (again, you can skip this and just add an empty bean can's worth of water)
One can (a big one) chopped tomatoes with green chiles (do not drain). I use a pint of the T&Cs grown and canned at AuNaturale Farms in Nebraska (the folks' place) but you can use any fine supermarket substitution.

6. Add more roasted green chiles to taste (these are typically found canned in a grocery store, or frozen at my house).

7. Set to simmer and get ready to chow down!

I like to have this with cornbread, too ... but since we have no butter and I'm not about to go out we'll be skipping it tonight.

Oh yes ... and I suppose you're wondering what about the "Tortilla" portion of the Veggie Mexican Tortilla Soup. Well, traditionally I think the soup has corn tortillas chopped up into it to thicken the broth ... or sometimes you see them fried up on the top for garnish. I do not do either of these things. Use your discretion.