Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Chicken Tortilla Soup (minus the tortillas)

Ok so last time I did this P90X I was a freak show. I put a lot of emphasis on cooking and I didn't want to do plain things. That's what ruined it for me, trying to come up with new ideas. I have been quite a bit more lax this time around and it seems to be working.
Every Sunday, I make a big batch of soup. Something that we can have throughout the week, either 1 cup with dinner or 2 cups for lunch. It definitely builds up the protein/veggie intake, without filling you up (as much) And when you eat as much as we are supposed to, you take what you can get. This also takes the pressure off making dinner and lunch in the same night. I will pair this soup with a chef salad or a regular tossed salad, or even a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread.
This week was Chicken Tortilla Soup. Mostly gathered from Nemmie's Blog, but also from some of my past tortilla soup recipes. But the tortillas, well they aren't really on the diet.
Chicken Non-Tortilla Soup
About 6 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato sauce
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilis
about 4-6 chicken breasts *I shortcut here and used 2 cans of all white chicken
1 cup celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Lime Juice
Cilantro
cayenne pepper
ground cumin

Combine everything through the garlic cloves in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for another 30-45 minutes. Add more spices or cilantro depending on how hot you like it. Keep in mind, Ro-Tel us SPICY! So be cautious.
I hadn't made chicken tortilla soup with cilantro before, mostly b/c I am not a huge fan of cilantro, but this was really good!


For diet friendly options, you can top with a few slices of avocado and some baked corn tortillas. If you want to go all out, add some cheese & sour cream!

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