Spicy chicken soup

Doesn't this look tasty? Chicken tortilla soup without the tortilla!!!

This is the best soup ever in my opinion and a great weight loss food. Studies show that eating broth based soup helps people consume fewer calories throughout the day. This soup is a fantastic meal that I can eat all week long. It's spicy and savory and filling.

I found the recipe (adapted below) from this Rick Bayless cookbook  many years ago. It's been my favorite soup ever since. Have you watched his PBS cooking show? He seems like such a nice guy.





Making this soup involves several steps, but none are difficult. Let's get started...

Ingredients:
Dried chiles (I used 5 anchos/pasillas, 5 chile de arbol, and 2 chipotles)
1 medium chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tomato
10 cups broth
bunch kale or chard or spinach (I used dinosaur kale)
cooked chicken bits
zucchini or other veggies
cilantro
lime
cotija cheese
cumin
salt

First, add a little oil to a hot pan, and toast the stemmed, seeded chiles. Throw them in some hot water for 30 minutes to soak. In a big pot, saute the onion and garlic until browned, add a dash of cumin. Meanwhile, blacken the tomato over a flame.

Blend the chiles, tomato, and about a cup of broth in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add the paste to the onions, and saute for a minute, then add the broth. Add the chopped greens, zucchini and chicken and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

When ready to serve, add chopped cilantro and a big squeeze of lime juice. Sprinkle the cotija cheese (queso anejo) on top. Eat happily!

Have a fantastic day my friends!