Fire Roasted Tortilla Soup with Ancho Tortilla Strips

This soup is bursting with robust flavors due to the addition of my fire roasted salsa recipe!  There are a lot of tortilla soups out there in the world and this is my take on it!  It happens to be one of my all time favorites!

I am so stoked for Ang and her son Avien.  Last year Avien ( the sweetest little guy you ever did meet) was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes.  He has had to endure countless finger pricks and shots.  He was not able to eat what his brother or friends ate.  Basically, he was not able to be a carefree kid.  Avien started his own GoFund page where people could donate money so he could get an insulin pump.   He surpassed his goal and plans to use the extra money to go to a diabetes camp.  So exciting!  Monday he got his pump and it is going great!  I am over the moon happy for him now that he can have a more normal life again.  He now has much more flexibility on what he can eat like this delicious and healthy tortilla soup!!!

This soup has about one sprouted corn tortilla per 2 cup serving (about 12 Carbs),  3 oz. tomato sauce (about 4 Carbs),  1 oz raw cheese (0 Carbs) and a 1/2 cup of salsa, which includes: tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro (about 8 Carbs).  So a 2 cup bowl is about 24 carbs without the garnishes.

Try this soup with a glass of white Rioja, Rueda , Sauvignon Blanc or a beer of your choice.

 Fire Roasted Tortilla Soup Recipe:

8 – 10 Servings

• 1 Batch (4 cups) Fire Roasted Salsa
• 4 Medium Tomatoes or 1 – 24 oz. Jar Strained Tomatoes
• 1 Teaspoon Ancho Powder or about 1 Ancho Pepper – ancho pepper ground in coffee grinder
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt – or to taste
• 12 Sprouted Corn Tortillas – save 4 for tortilla strips
• 9 Cups Filtered Water
• 1 – 8 oz or 2 1/4 Cups Raw Jack Cheese – shredded

Garnish:

• Roasted Poblano
• Cilantro Micro Sprouts or Fresh Cilantro
• Mexican crema, sour cream or creme fraîche

 Instructions:

If using the tomatoes, cut in half and grate them on the cut side and discard the skins.  In a large soup pot (I used a 5 1/2 quart dutch oven) add the tomatoes/tomato sauce, water, ancho powder, paprika, salt and 8 tortillas cut into small pieces.

Cook for 30 minutes on medium-low heat.  Add the salsa and cook for another half hour or until it starts to boil.  Slowly add the cheese.  When the cheese is fully melted, puree with a hand held blender (immersion blender) or a regular blender or a food processor.

Peppers

Roast peppers on the stovetop on medium-high heat.  A gas stove works the best but it will work fine on an electric stove. Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.  When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.

Take a paper towel and rub off the char.  It’s ok to leave a little of the char.  Slice in half and remove the seeds and stems then dice them.

 

 Health benefits:

Tomatoes are great for the heart due to the extreme antioxidant support, niacin, folate and vitamin B6 that helps the reduction of heart disease.  They are also high in vitamins A, C, K and potassium.  The choline in tomatoes helps assist the absorption of fat and reduces chronic inflammation.  It also helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.  Tomatoes are high in Lycopene the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color.  Cooking tomatoes break down the cell walls, which helps to release the lycopene and is better absorbed by the body with a little bit of fat like olive oil.  The Zeaxanthin in them helps to filter harmful ultra-violet rays, which protect eyes from “age-related macular disease.”  They are also a powerful blood purifier and great for skin and bone health.