Mexican Tortilla Soup

As I was looking for an easy chicken soup recipe to use some more of my garden veggies, I came across this one, and I could not resist! It was EXCELLENT. For a vegetarian version use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth, and add a can of rinsed pinto beans or chickpeas for some more protein. You could also add a cup of rice to this soup if you wish.

Mexican Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Recipe #4574 on Recipe Zaar

1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced lengthwise, and then chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 green pepper, diced
2 jalepenos, seeded & diced
2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1 t oregano
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (or fresh if you have them available)
1 can chicken broth
1 "can-ful" water (10 3/4 oz)
4 medium carrots, diced
1 medium summer squash/zucchini, diced
1 C corn
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro (feel free to add more!!)
2 cooked chicken breasts, boned & chopped or shredded

Optional Toppings:
Crushed tortilla chips
Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
sliced green onions
avocado
sour cream

1. In a medium stock pot, saute onion, leek, peppers & garlic in oil.
2. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, broth, water & carrots. Bring to a boil & simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add corn, squash, beans, cilantro & chicken, simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat & let sit for a couple minutes, then serve & garnish as desired. Enjoy!

Grilled Vegetable Tostadas

This is a filling vegetarian dinner that you could easily serve with grilled meat if you wanted. They get rave reviews whenever I serve them!

Grilled Vegetable Tostadas
from Everyday Food issue #34

Olive oil
3 medium zucchini cut on diagonal in 1/2" wide slices
4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed (or several baby bellas)
6-9 scallions, root ends trimmed
4 flour (whole grain preferred!) or corn tortillas
fresh salsa (store bought or homemade, but fresh)
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 lime cut into edges for serving

1. Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and brush. Working in batches if necessary, grill, turning once, until lightly browned and tender.
2 minutes for scallions
6 minutes for mushrooms
8 minutes for zucchini
Return all vegetables to baking sheet, slice mushrooms to 1/2" wide strips, set aside.

2. Brush tortillas with oil; grill, turning frequently, until browned & very crispy, about 2 minutes. Place 1 tortilla on each serving plate, cover evenly with mushrooms & zucchini. using kitchen shears, snip scallions over vegetables. Top with salsa, sprinkle with feta, and serve with lime wedges if desired.

Enjoy! You could also grill eggplant for this dish if you like.