recipe: turkey tortilla soup

yet another t-day leftover recipe. i've never even considered making tortilla soup before since i always have seen it full of beans and corn (yuuuck), but i had the realization that it's my kitchen i can do whatever i want. beans be gone! so with that... my interpretation of it:

ingredients list:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
- 1 poblano, seeded & chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 oz - i used Hunts)
- 2-3 cups leftover turkey, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 & 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup instant brown rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 flour tortilla (i used Mission Cheddar & Jalapeno), cut into thin strips
- sour cream for serving
- green onion, for serving


to make: heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. add onion, jalapeno, poblano, and garlic and saute until the veggies start to brown. add next 9 ingredients, stir well, and bring to a boil. simmer on low heat for an additional 35 minutes. after 35 minutes, add rice, raise heat to medium-low, and allow to cook for an additional 15 minutes.


while soup is simmering, heat vegetable oil in a small pan. fry tortilla strips for about 1 minute, remove to a paper-towel lined plate, and set aside.


when soup is done, finish with a dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, and green onion. done!


verdict: YUM! i was afraid this was going to be too spicy with the jalapeno and poblano, but they cooked down nicely, giving just enough kick to the dish. the slight sweet from the ginger and spices still came through with all that heat - i think having the rice/turkey helped take it down a notch. my ideal soups are creamy, but i didn't have the heart to do that tonight for calorie's sake... if it were up to me i would have added sour cream to the entire soup, forget just the dollop on top. even with that, it still gets a solid 7 *******. would make again fo sho.