Easy Cooking: Tortilla Soup

I made this recipe by guessing what should be in vegan tortilla soup. I never made the non-vegan version, but the challenge wasn't hard at all. In fact, this is so easy to make that when I need a meal made in 20 min and have the hankering for something hot and spicy this is the recipe I like to whip up.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can no fat refried beans
1 can vegetable broth
pepper
1 sweet onion (med)/(green onions work great too - I'd use two)
1 stalk of celery (optional - tastes fine without it, but if you have it on hand, toss it in)
2 heaping spoonfuls of crushed garlic
1 heaping spoon full of salsa
a few shakes of hot sauce
a few shakes of chipotle Tabasco
a few shakes of red pepper flakes
a few shakes of oregano
a few shakes of paprika
2 heaping spoonfuls of chili powder
tortilla chips - for topping
fake chicken cut up into pieces (1 bag)
1 3/4 cups frozen or fresh sweet corn
1 avocado for topping - sliced thin
cubed faux cheese (for topping) - fake Monterey jack with jalapeños

In food processor blend: (if you don't have one - get one, otherwise, you'll have more of a chunky soup.....if chunky is your thing - go for it)
diced tomatoes with green chilies
sweet onion
celery
crushed garlic
salsa
hot sauce
chipotle Tabasco
chili powder
paprika

In a large soup pot:
On medium heat start cooking the blended mixture along with vegetable broth.
Add oregano, pepper and red pepper flakes
Cook thoroughly.
Add refried beans and stir to mix until creamy
Dice fake chicken into 1 inch long pieces - add to soup along with corn
Increase heat and cover. Allow for mixture to boil but not a rolling boil.

Serve:
Ladle soup into deep soup bowls. Arrange sliced avocadoes, tortilla chips and fake cheese on top.

Optional: If you have a can of black beans around, throw those in too (while the soup is cooking). They'll give your soups more substance if you want more of a hearty soup.

Optional: If you're a spice freak, toss a couple of hot peppers into the food processor, sans the seeds unless you're a masochist.

Keep in mind - most of the flavoring stuff is optional. Once I was out of garlic and it came out fine. As long as you cook it with love in your heart, you're golden.