Chicken Tortilla Soup

I started out making this recipe by the "book" so to speak but now I do my own thing with it. So I will give you the original recipe and my version!

Original Version:
Serves 4

4 Corn Tortillas, halved, then cut crosswise in narrow strips
2 Cans Chicken Broth
1 Medium Zucchini, cut in 3/4 inch thick half-rounds
1/2 tsp each minced garlic and ground cumin
1 Cup Corn
1 Can Red Kidney Beans, Rinsed
1 1/2 Cups large shreds of cooked chicken
1 large tomato, cut in 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. Coat bottom of pot with olive oil, heat over medium heat. Add tortilla strips and cook 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly toasted. Remove to a paper towel or plate.

2. Add broth, zucchini, garlic and cumin to pot; bring to a boil. Reduce head, cover and simmer 3 minutes, or until zucchini is crisp-tender.

3. Stir in tortilla strips, corn and beans; continue to simmer 2 minutes or until tortillas soften. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.


My Version of this Yummy Soup:

2 Boxes of Imagine Organic Chicken Broth (Low Sodium)
4-5 Zucchini's chopped into small pieces
2 Cans Organic Black Beans
2 Cans Organic Pinto Beans
1 Can Red Kidney Beans
1 Bag Frozen Organic Corn
1-2 Tomatoes, diced into chunks any size you want
1 Can Sliced Olives
Minced Garlic
Ground Cumin
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Cilantro
Sour Cream

1. Pour chicken broth into pot. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, black pepper, sea salt, cilantro, frozen corn and zucchini. Bring to broil. Reduce heat and let simmer until zucchini is crisp-tender roughly 3 minutes.

2. Stir in rinsed and drained beans. Let simmer roughly 2 minutes so beans are warm.

3. Pour into individual bowls and garnish with tomato chunks, sliced olives and sour cream.

**You could also add Squash, carrots, potatoes or anything else that sounds good.
**This dish is a little mexican like and has a little bit of zing to it. It's not too spicy for kids though.
**We seem to like my version better than the original one. The corn strips are good but are a little more work and seem to get soggy in the fridge.
**I always make a giant batch of this so there is lots of leftovers. So if you do not want that much leftover you might want to put less ingredients in from the above list. We usually eat it pretty fast so I am not sure how long it'll last in the fridge. I haven't tried freezing it.