I know that you all are dying to know what I made with my “What’s for dinner? Challenge” ingredients. I can tell from the “holding your breath in anticipation” cyber silence. Feel free to breathe now and leave a comment if you came up with a recipe for the challenge. 🙂

South of the border, Tortilla Soup is usually made with chicken but the portobello mushrooms lend a “meaty, umami” flavor and the grilled peppers and corn lend a smoky deliciousness to the soup. I topped my soup with avocado, non-fat sour cream and toasted corn tortilla strips for a vegetarian meal. Vegans, just leave off the sour cream for an animal friendly meal.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion diced
2 gloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground dried coriander
2 tsp ancho chili powder, more or less to taste
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 cups vegetarian broth, I used mushroom broth
2 cups water
2 cups fresh seeded tomatoes or canned
14 oz can pinto or red kidney beans, drained
2 portobello mushrooms rough chopped, any mushroom will work
2 carrots diced
1 large potato diced
Kernels from 2 ears fresh corn
1 red bell pepper roasted and chopped
2 cups chard, kale or spinach chopped or torn
Adjust salt to taste, the broth and beans may be salted already.

To Serve
1 avocado sliced
1 lime quartered to squeeze over the soup
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves picked
2 corn sliced and tortillas toasted
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese shredded

Grill or broil corn and red peppers until a nice char appears. I don’t bother to skin the peppers after roasting. Remove corn kernels with a sharp knife. While the oven or grill is hot toast the tortilla strips misted with olive oil and lightly salted until golden brown.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 2 quart pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic sautée until soft. Add cumin, chili powder, coriander and ground pepper and cook 2 minutes until fragrant. Add all vegetables except the greens, legumes and the liquids. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add greens and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into large bowls and serve with toppings on the side.