Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

The weather has finally dipped here in La La Land. The nights are cold and damp and the daytime sun doesn't quite break through the chill. It's the perfect weather for fires, hot tea, blankets, and homemade soups.

I love making soup in the crock pot. Just dump in and turn on. The end. Plus there are always leftovers to enjoy the next day, and the day after that.

This vegetarian tortilla soup is rich and hearty and soul-warming. As a meatasaurus [technical term] I sometimes find that I miss the solidness of meat in vegetarian recipes, but this soup is not the case. It doesn't even need it. If you wanted to, you could throw a chicken breast or two in with everything at the beginning and cook on high instead of low, then shred it with a knife and fork before serving. But you really don't have to. Honest.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 bunch green onions

1 small bag frozen corn

1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 4oz can diced green chiles

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cans vegetable broth

2 cups water

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste 

[I used a chipotle hot sauce]

1 bay leaf

For garnish:

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

lime zest

1. Cut bulb ends off green onions. Chop into small pieces, stopping just when the leaves start. Reserve a handful of the greener part for garnish.
2. Saute the remaining chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix green onions with the rest of the ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 hours.
4. Garnish soup with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla strips, a few slices of avocado, some of the reserved green onions, and a little bit of lime zest. Serve.