Semi-Vegetarian Tortilla Soup- twice as good as the original

Don’t ask me why but there must be something about the New Year that brings out a hankerin’ for tortilla soup. Maybe it has to do with the cold weather. Maybe it has to do with the limited local foods that I can find at this time of the year. Or maybe has to do with experiencing a major “senior moment”.

A couple of days ago I purchased some fresh spinach, local tofu, dried smoked chipotle pepper and red onion at a St. Louis Community Supported Agriculture program and decided to use the items in a tortilla soup. While sitting down and enjoying our meal, the kids and hubby said they recognized this soup and thought that I had made it before. If there is one thing that is certain in my kitchen, it is seldom that I make a dish twice.

Well, indeed I did. Last year in January, I wrote a post about a Vegetarian Tortilla Soup that was so delicious, even though the photograph does not show it (check out the link to see). I’ll-be-darned. I made almost the same soup without even realizing it until sitting down to write this post.

So please excuse my mental lapse and almost repeat recipe but please enjoy the new and improved version of Semi-Vegetarian Tortilla Soup. This time around I made it more kid friendly by adding cubed cooked chicken along with the extra-firm tofu, making it semi-vegetarian. I added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes for more smokiness. And I added a squeeze of fresh lime juice right before serving that really brightened up the flavors.

Just like last year, I leave you with Feliz ano Nuevo, or Happy New Year- to a great year ahead and many more bowls of tortilla soup!

Semi-Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1 dried chipotle pepper
• 1 can (15 oz) fire-roasted tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 container (14 oz) extra-firm tofu
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 3 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt

Cooking Directions

1. Break apart the chipotle chile, removing stem; combine with tomatoes and juice in the food processor or blender.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large pot. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add to blender or food processor; blend ingredients until pureed.
3. In same pot, add 1 more Tbsp. oil and cook chicken; remove to plate.
4. Drain tofu, pat dry and cut into ½ inch cubes. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in same large pot, brown tofu cubes for about 3 minutes.
5. Pour puree back into large pot with tofu, heat for about 5 minutes. Add broth, bring to boil, then simmer.
6. Add cooked chicken and spinach to pot, cook until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes.
7. Ladle soup into bowls, sqeeze fresh lime juice, top with avocado, cheese and a dollop of plain yogurt.

until next time...