Okay so I didn't post yesterday, but I'm here now and good to go. Got busy yesterday and this was my beautiful creation. I'm ashamed of the sloppy plate. Don't judge, 'mkay?Anyways, this mound of deliciousness is the result of searching through several vegetarian and non-vegetarian tortilla soup recipes. I basically took what I liked from those and tweaked them to get what you see here. My husband gave me one of the nicest compliments he's ever given me about my cooking and said that this was so good it belongs on a menu in a restaurant. My father-in-law, who is SUPER picky when it comes to anything with any sort of spices in it went back for seconds on this. I was very pleased with the outcome. You know it's good when people are silent while they're eating. So without further ado, I present this recipe for your eating enjoyment:
Beth's Wicked Good Roasted Corn and Black Bean Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
For the Soup:
-One green bell pepper, diced
-One small white onion, diced
-2 Tbsp. minced garlic (have I mentioned that I LOVE garlic?)
-Four ears of corn, roasted (you can use frozen if you want, but I LOVE the flavor of fresh roasted corn)
-Two cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
-One 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes
-One small can of green chiles
-One zucchini, diced
-8 cups of vegetable stock
-About 2 tbsp of olive oil for sauteing your veggies
-The spices I added were cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt. I was pretty liberal with the spices, though I went easy on the salt. I LOVE the smokiness of cumin and cayenne pepper so I can't really tell you how much I added...I just kept adding a little until it tasted good.
For The Rice:
-2 Cups brown rice
-4 Cups veggie stock (or water...I keep veggie stock handy as I did with chicken broth. It's a WONDERFUL flavor booster and not very expensive. You can even make your own and freeze it.)
-Salt, to taste
-1 tbsp butter (optional...I've always made rice with a bit of butter.)
For the Toppings:
-One ripe avocado, cubed
-Cheddar cheese, (you can omit if you like)
-A handful of crushed tortilla chips
-Lime Wedges
Directions:
(this does involve some prep work, but it is not complicated, I promise)
-Preheat oven to 350, place corn, husks and all on a rack and let roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove corn husk and silk and cut the corn from the cobs. Set aside.
-Wash, de-seed the bell pepper, set aside
-Peel the small onion, dice, set aside
-Wash and dice the zucchini, set aside
-Wash and drain the black beans, set aside.
YAY! Your prep work is done! Now it's time to get to the good parts :)
-In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onions, garlic, and bell pepper in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Cook for about five minutes, until the veggies soften slightly.
**SIDE NOTE** When I make soup, I look at it as a layering process. Every time I add something new, I season a little more, so that by the time I am done, the soup is flavorful and delicious.
-Add the corn, green chiles, black beans, and crushed tomatoes. Season.
-Add your veggie stock. Season.
-Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low to simmer for an hour. Longer is better. Ten minutes before your ready to serve, add in the zucchini, so they don't become squashy (HAHAHA...zucchini will become squashy...yeah...moving on)
-Give the soup one final taste, season accordingly
For the Rice:
-While the soup is simmering, combine rice, stock (or water), butter and salt in a pan, and bring to a boil.
-Cover. Reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour (DO NOT TOUCH THIS RICE! Rice is sensitive and needs its personal space.)
-Fluff rice with a fork.
Putting it all together:
-Place a scoop of rice in the bottom of your bowl.
-Top with a serving of the soup.
-Top with avocado chunks, cheese, crushed tortilla chips and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
This soup makes A LOT, so it's great for sharing, and keeps well for freezing. My picky husband said it was even better the next day.
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