Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

   While trying to figure out what to make for dinner last night, I was torn between a Corn and Potato soup and Tortilla soup. But both recipes I found contained loads of dairy, meat, and poorly combined ingredients. So naturally, I went with the Tortilla Soup and did my best to make it a well combined meal. That meant skipping the chicken, beans, and olives that most recipes seemed to include.

   And I was amazed at how flavorful and filling this soup was! I was giddy with glee over all the vegetables that I put into that soup. I mentally started counting all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and anti-oxidants that my body would be filled up with.

 

 I'm kidding...I'm not that outrageous.....

 

   I even went without using vegetable stock for this recipe. By blending all of the vegetables together with water, you are virtually creating your own base. My recipes also do not include much sodium either. If you do feel the need to add salt, I recommend using a great alternative by Eden Organic called Seaweed Gomasio. It is a blend of seaweed vegetables, sesame seeds, and sea salt. It contains only 80 mg of sodium in 1 tsp compared to 480 mg in 1/4 tsp of sea salt. And no, it doesn't taste like "seaweed" as you squeamish people would imagine. It adds a great flavor to the soup and is much healthier for you. You can find it at most grocery stores near the spices or in health food sections.

   I have also added nutritional yeast as well. Nutritional yeast is s great source of B Vitamins, Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, and Selenium. It is sold in health food stores and adds a slightly cheesy flavor to the soup. It is a great all natural dairy alternative and provides B vitamins for vegetarians who do not eat animal products. Whether you omit this ingredient or not, don't go adding sour cream or cheese to this recipe. You will ruin the whole point of properly combining your foods as dairy will stall the digestion of the vegetables in your stomach and create fermentation and toxins withint your body.


Recipe:

2 organic roma tomatoes
2 organic celery stalks
2 organic carrot stalks
2 cups frozen organic sweet corn( Non-GMO)
1 organic red bell pepper
1 sweet vidalia onion
4 baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped jalapenos, drained ( Make sure to buy in a glass jar or use fresh)
3 garlic cloves
4 cups filtered water
1 tsp unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 tsp ground chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp Seaweed Gomasio (optional)
cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.) In a high powered blender, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, 1 1/2 cups corn, red bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms with four cups water. You can do this in stages if your blender does not hold all the contents. It doesn't matter which order you choose to put the vegetables in, as long as they are pureed to a smooth consistency. (If necessary, skip to step 2 and forgo blending in favor of finely chopping your vegetables if you do not have a blender that is strong enough. I can't vouch for the same outcome of the soup, but most likely it will not make that much of a difference)

2.) In a large stock pot, combine coconut oil and garlic until slightly fragrant on medium heat. Add in jalapenos, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. Stir well so that the spices cover the garlic and jalapenos.

3.) Add in your vegetable puree along with an additional 1/2 cup frozen sweet corn. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. (At this time if you were not able to blend your vegetables, add them in now along with 4 cups filtered water. Once vegetables are soft, use an immersion blender to puree, or likewise transfer the cooked vegetables to the blender and puree that way.)

4.)Top with fresh cilantro and serve with your favorite gluten free bread!