A Cold Tuesday Afternoon calls for soup

This is the perfect day to make some Tortilla Soup.  I love how most of the recipes for this soup include chicken yet it's not called chicken tortilla soup.  It's even funnier around our house 'cause we avoid the carbs that would come from the tortillas and substitute roasted portabella mushroom strips.

This particular recipe is one of my favorite "quickie" meals.  You see, I watched this one prepared in less than 5 minutes with a stop-watch running as it was a challenge.  Yes, the challenge was met.

At our house we like a thick and hearty soup so I'll share it the way I do it.  We're just two so the amounts will need to be adjusted according to your guest list.

Cut one zucchini and one yellow squash lengthwise in quarters and then slice the wedges at 1/2 inch intervals.  Dice one medium white onion and chop carrots (2-3) into 1/2 inch pieces.  Saute' the carrots and onions in two Tbs of olive oil at a medium high setting until the carrots reach the desired tenderness.  Use the stock pot you'll be making the soup in to saute the vegetables.  Once the hard vegies are softened then add the squash to the pot and a chopped bell pepper, if you like that flavor.  Pour in one 24 oz bottle of medium or even mile salsa and add between 24 and 32 oz of chicken broth.  You can also add corn if you like that flavor.

Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot for a 20 minute simmer.  Stir the pot and test for flavor; adjusting for salt and possible pepper or garlic as desired.  Cover and continue to simmer over a low heat until ready to serve.  Once you're ready to put in bowls you'll want to chop about a cup of fully cooked chicken fajita meat into 1/2 inch chunks.  Grate about 1 cup of cheddar cheese and slice one avocado.  Ladle the soup into bowls on top of the chicken meat (refrigerated it will warm quickly once the soup is poured over it) and top with cheese and avocado.

We place roasted/toasted portabella mushroom caps which were cut into strips which resemble French fries on top of the cheese and enjoy.  The mushrooms were prepared during the boiling process by tossing this with a little extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on a cookie sheet and placed in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  They turn quite dark and just begin to get crisp when they are done.

This soup will be thick and quite tasty.  The amounts above provide for two large bowls full.