light, healthy, delicious...tortilla soup

I love all the ideas coming in - and I am going to work on some good pizza recipes very soon, I promise.  In the mean time, here is some soup I whipped up last week that I think was a big success.  I hope you think so, too...

Tortilla Soup (and it's good for you!)

1 lb. cherry tomatoes

2 med. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos**

32 oz chicken broth

2 cups water

1 t. salt

2-3 T taco seasoning (this is what I use - so easy and no MSG)

1.25 lbs ground turkey breast

1/2 lg onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

15 oz. frozen corn 

15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 avocado, sliced

shredded reduced fat cheese (I use a mexi-blend from TJ's)

4 whole wheat tortillas, toasted and crumbled (I did this in my toaster oven, but you can also do it under the broiler)

1 lime, sliced into wedges

**Before we get to it, I used 2 tablespoons of jalapenos from the jar in the fridge.  This was one spicy soup.  You can use one fresh jalapeno (seed it if you want to cut down on the heat) or if you don't like too much spice, dice up 1/2 of a bell pepper instead.  

Place tomatoes, carrots and jalapeno in the food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely blended.  Make it as smooth as you'd like.  (I like to see little bit of tomato and carrot in there, but use some creative freedom.)

In a stock pot, brown ground turkey (I used ground turkey breast because it's lower in fat and calories, but use what you like) with onions and garlic.  Once cooked through, add taco seasoning and let simmer for one minute.

Add in tomato/carrot mixture, broth, water, beans, corn and salt, if needed.

Simmer 30-45 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle each with toasted tortilla strips, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 3 slices of avocado.  Serve with a wedge of lime, and squeeze over the top just before serving. 

This is one of our new favorites - enjoy!

© One Healthy Mama 2009