*Smoky Tortilla Soup*

I absolutely love tortilla soup, and I love beans in my tortilla soup.  However, Jay O. is not a fan of beans and every tortilla soup I have tried before and left out the beans I felt something was missing.  This recipe, on the other hand, doesn't include beans and I think it might be my all time favorite.  The flavors go perfectly together and give it a nice smoky finish with a little touch of sweet.  If you wanted to add beans to the recipe, I'm sure it would be delish =)

It looks like there are quite a few ingredients you would have to buy, but most of the ingredients you will have in your pantry.  It was very budget friendly!

Ingredients:

2 Large green chiles, seeded and stemmed                               
1 quart (32 oz) chicken stock
2 Tbsp vegetable oil 
1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 Large red onion, chopped (the entire onion!)
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped (or jalapeno)
1 red chile pepper, seeded and chopped 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used a garlic press)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (28 oz.) can fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp honey
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded (I bought a pre-cooked one at Kroger)
Salt & Pepper
2 Cups water
1 lime
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved
Light sour cream, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish 

Directions:
Add the green chiles and the chicken stock to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chiles are tender.  Remove from heat to cool.

While the chiles simmer, heat a medium soup pot with vegetable oil over high heat.  Add the corn and saute until charred at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reduce the heat a little, add the onions, serrano pepper (or jalapeno), red chile pepper and garlic.  Season with cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon.  Saute for 5 minutes, then pour and stir in the fire roasted tomatoes.   

Puree the chiles and the stock in a food processor, then add it to the soup pot.  If you have a hand blender, it would work perfectly and you can leave the chiles and stock in the soup pot. 

Stir in the honey and the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Thin the soup with 2 cups of water and simmer over low heat to combine flavors, 5 minutes minimum.  Like I've mentioned before, the longer it simmers the more flavor!  

Zest and juice 1 lime and add to the soup pot.  

Seed and slice the avocados. 

Ladle the soup into each bowl, and top with a dollop of sour cream, a few slice of avocado, and some chopped cilantro leaves if you want the perfect finishing touch :0)

If you want to add the crunch factor, crush a handful of whole wheat tortilla chips in the bottom of each bowl before adding the soup.

Enjoy, and make sure to save some for leftovers!  I assure you it will be hard not to eat all of it in one  sitting!