Easy Tortilla Soup

This is my favorite meal to make for large amounts of people.  It is always a big hit and is so EASY!
  That said, I usually have on hand chicken or vegetable stock that I made and froze which is a main component for my soup.  You can use canned stock, but beware the sodium content, most commercially canned stocks are loaded with it.

 Here is the basic recipe:
2 tbl corn oil
1 small to medium onion, diced
1 tbl chili powder
1 tbl cumin
3 cans of beans (I use red kidney, black and pinto, all no-salt variety)
1 can corn
8 cups broth
1 cup salsa
salt to taste
avocados (1/2 an avo per person)
1 cup of diced, cooked chicken (optional)
tortilla chips
shredded cheese (1/4 cup per person)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot, then add the onions.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili powder and cumin, stir until the onions are well coated.  Add all the beans and the corn, liquid included (I hate to waste anything!).  Add the broth and the salsa.  Bring to a slow simmer.  Add salt at this point if you wish.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add diced, cooked chicken at the end before serving if desired.  While soup is simmering, I usually fry up my own corn chips by slicing up corn tortillas into 1/2 inch by 1 inch strips.  I make them extra crispy to hold up in the soup.

Slice avocados in half, remove the pit and dice by running your knife through the flesh horizontally and vertically, then scoop out the squares with a spoon, into the bottom of the bowl.  Ladle soup on top, add a handful of chips, then your cheese on top of that.  Voila!  A meal in a bowl.

This is a hit even in the summer time.  A great way to use up leftover fresh made salsa, chicken and that broth you've been storing in the freezer.  Very cheap and feeds a lot of people!  This makes about 8 servings.

Hey, maybe you could even serve this on Cinco De Mayo!

Enjoy,
Monica