Soup

I love soup, all varieties... cold, spicy, creamy, chunky, smooth, etc... Soup is so good!

Here is a kind of Mexican soup I make when I am stressed for time and money. You can make it as fresh and fancy as you want, OR you can use canned/frozen veggies and it's still good.

I start off with a basic chicken broth. Whenever I boil chicken, I always keep the broth. It's much healthier than store bought (no MSG) and all you have to do is skim off the fatty bits on top and freeze it in a marked container. However, store bought is still good or even chicken bouillon cubes and water if you're out of everything else.

So once you get that nice and bubbly in a pot, you can add a little chicken (canned is fine if you don't have a frozen or fresh piece as well) and fresh garlic if you have some. Then let it simmer for a bit. I also salt my soup a little between each step.

Then add your veggies. My favorites are: carrots, potatoes, black beans, corn, green beans and onions... in that order. It takes a lot longer to cook carrots and potatoes, but again, you can also just get a big bag of mixed vegetables too!

Then goes in a little tomato paste and a can of ROTEL. This is my favorite ingredient! It adds a little spice and color.

Then a little garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Last but not least, I always throw in a handful of cilantro right before serving.

You can serve this with some tortilla chips sprinkled on top and buttery rice with lime on the side. YUM!!!