Chicken Tortilla Soup

Happy New Year!
Wow, it has been one heck of a cold start to 2014 here in Atlanta. 
Let's just be clear. I'm from Florida and dislike cold weather. 
Unless we get a bit of fluffy, pretty snow and it lasts for like one day...that's cool.
But waking up to 6 degrees the other morning was brutal.

So, it's soup time. And I'm all about rotisserie chickens right now.
I made a stellar chicken pot pie the other night for our long-awaited season opener of Downton Abbey (the best!!). 
Then I went out the next day and bought another chicken to make this lovely soup.

You know how you are flipping through a magazine and you see this gorgeous food photo that just makes you go mmmmmmmmm. Well that's what happened. I saw this soup and I just knew I had to make it. 

To try and honor my new year intentions....I did leave out the fried tortillas strips and the Mexican cheese. It still rocked.

 

I am feeling good about the new year. I started off by going with Jay to a yin yang yoga workshop on New Years day. It felt so good to be doing a true yoga practice....barefoot and on my yoga mat for the first time since I broke my foot at the end of September. Gonna take a little time to get back into shape after sitting so much, but I'm game. 

Looking forward to cooking more healthy eats this year and sharing them with all of you.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yield: about 3 quarts

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 large ancho chilies, dried

1 large yellow onion, peeled & roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

6 cups chicken broth, lo-salt {can use veggie if you like}

4 corn tortillas,torn

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken {or more if you like}

1/2 cup cilantro leaves {plus extra for garnish}

Salt to taste

1 lime

1 avocado, chunked

Place ancho chilies in very hot water and let soften for about 20 minutes. Remove chilies from water and toss into blender with chopped onion and tomatoes. Add garlic cloves. Puree until smooth. 

Heat grape seed oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Place pureed chili mixture into pot and cook for a few minutes. Add chicken stock, torn corn tortillas, chicken and cilantro. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the soup thickens. Add salt to taste. Serve soup and garnish with a squeeze of lime, cilantro, and a handful of avocado chunks.