Favorite Things # 4: A Warm Bowl of Soup

Its been cold and rainy here, and the weather reminds me how much I love a warm bowl of soup. This is smooth tomato soup with just the right amount of kick from the jalapeno. It takes a little work to puree this in the blender, but it is well worth the effort. Be sure to remove the cover on the hole in your blender lid – the heat from the soup needs to escape. Just use a clean dish towel to cover the hole while you are blending. Trust me – if you leave the cap on the hole, the heat will lift up the lid during blending and cause an explosion! It’s not a fun mess to clean.

This recipe is by Ellie Krieger who hosts the “Healthy Appetite” show on the Food Network, and it is absolutely delicious:

Ingredients
2 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I make more than this for snacking)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil (I sprayed the tortillas with cooking spray rather than using the canola oil)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt added diced tomatoes. with juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil, using 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cut the tortillas in half, then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips on a baking sheet, sprinkle with the salt, and bake until crisp and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoons of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.

Remove the pan from the heat and puree with an immersion blender or in 2 batches in a regular blender until the soup lightens in color but chunks of tomato remain, about 30 seconds. Serve the soup topped with the tortilla strips, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of cilantro.