Tortilla Soup

I love fall and soup and things that are spicy, so naturally tortilla soup sounds like a little piece of heaven to me. I had actually been craving this for a few months since I had it at Temezcal on the South Boston Waterfront.  This weekend, I decided to try to make my own and jazz it up a bit. 

Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of grapeseed oil
1 chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bell peppers, chopped (I did one red and one green)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 ear fresh corn (I had blanched corn late in the summer and frozen it- so I used it here)
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
3 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lbs of roasted tomatoes (I pre-roasted my tomatoes when making another soup)
1 red chili peppers, I kept the ribs and seeds in for spice (to make it more mild, remove both)
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cooked black beans
salt & pepper & crushed red chili pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
Chopped avocado, for garnish
Tortilla sticks (corn tortillas, grapeseed oil, garlic powder, chili powder, to taste)

In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the grapeseed oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on medium broil setting.

Meanwhile, chop the peppers, zucchini, and red onion- set aside. Add the veggies into the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.

Add in the roasted tomatoes, beans, cumin, lime juice and broth. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

In the meantime, make your tortilla strips. Slice corn tortillas into 2 inch strips Place in a small bowl and drizzle with grapeseed oil to coat. Sprinkle on garlic powder and chili powder  and mix well with hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for up to 3 minutes on medium. Watch very carefully. When golden, remove from oven.

After the soup simmers, ladle into bowls, and top with chopped avocado and tortilla strips. Serve immediately.