chicken tortilla soup

when i decided to start gathering for my family's food storage, i did some looking around and checking out all types of food storage calculators and stuff to get some ideas of how to start and what kind of items i should be collecting. and i kept finding that canned meat was bascially on everyone's list. and i'll admit it -- i'm totally grossed out by any manner of canned meat that is not simply white tuna packed in water. so i figured i'd better come up with a handful of meals i can make -- and want to eat -- that use canned meat (ssshhh... don't tell my husband; he'd die). i have made this soup several times and it always gets rave reviews. it's easy, fast and uses basically only staples that you would already have at home.



chicken tortilla soup

so gather up:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (can also use dehydrated onions if you have them)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or a TBSP or 2 of garlic spice
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped (if you have it, and if you like it spicy)
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped (you can leave this out if you don't have it at home)
- 2 cans of canned chicken (i like white chunk chicken breast)
- 1 can of corn
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 (14 oz.) cans of chicken broth
- 2 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

and then you:
- saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno and green pepper in olive oil in a big pot until soft (about 5 min) - dump in all the rest of the stuff and bring to a boil
- then simmer for an additional 45 minutes or so (if you don't have that much time, no worries)

this soup is great served with any or all of the following: tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, or avocado slices (whatever you've got on hand). you could also toss in some black beans for extra protein.

this recipe makes about 10 servings and is only about 3 g fat per serving - so enjoy!