Tortilla Soup with Southwest Cabbage Slaw

I don't know what happened to all the soup I used to make. I was so good last winter to make a pot of soup about once a week and we'd eat the leftovers over the next couple of days. This year I just haven't made it as much. Soups really are wonderful and generally easy and quick to throw together. You can usually sneak in lots of veggies too.

The last soup I made like this was your typical taco soup with hamburger and prepackaged seasonings, etc. This soup is definitely a step up from that has more of a WOW taste factor where tortilla soups are concerned. This soup is really easy to customize to your own tastes. For example, I chose not to use meat, but some grilled chicken might sit nicely on top. Or you could use different beans, different veggies, whatever strikes your fancy. While not all of this is as easy as opening up a can and dumping it in the pot, it is pretty easy and so tasty!

Oh and if you don't think you like cabbage, you might change your mind. The Southwest Cabbage Slaw is a great little topper that will add flavor and awesome texture to your soup.

Tortilla Soup
1-2 dried mulato or ancho chile peppers

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon coriander seeds (or roughly 2 tsp ground coriander)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 cups vegetable broth

2 cups frozen corn (or 14-oz can)
2 cups (14-oz can) black beans
2 bay leaves

4 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt


Garnishes:
crumbled queso fresco

diced avocado

Fresh cilantro

Southwest Cabbage Slaw (recipe below)

Crush the dried chilies in a mortar and pestle until pulverized. Set aside. Alternately, you can place dried chiles in a small saucepan, cover with water and boil about 5 minutes. Drain, pull out stems and seeds then puree in blender, adding a small amount of water water as needed for a smooth texture.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook about a minute longer. Add the tomatoes with their juice, 2-3 Tbsp. of the dried/pureed chilies, the coriander seeds and cumin and cook about 5 minutes. Add the broth, corn, beans, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 15-20 minutes.

Serve soup warm with you choice of garnish(es).

Southwest Cabbage Slaw
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
2 c coleslaw mix or thinly sliced cabbage
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all into a medium bowl and mix well. Keeps in the fridge, covered, for about a week.

SOURCE:Adapted from Perry's Plate

Linked to...
Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance
Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story
It's A Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper