Recipe - Savory Tortilla Soup

2 Dried ancho chilies; OR
1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
2 tablespoon Canola oil
6 Corn tortillas
(blue or yellow)
1 Onion; chopped
4 Garlic cloves; minced
8 cup Chicken stock (reducedfat)
OR vegetable stock
2 cup Tomato puree
1 tablespoon Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
Three fourths teaspoon Salt
2 Limes; juiced

OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Monterey Jack cheese, grated
OR soy cheese
Avocado; minced
Nonfat sour cream
Fresh cilantro; minced
Cooked chicken; minced

Remove stems and seeds from ancho chilies. Place chilies in a saucepan,
cover with water and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain chilies, let
cool, then puree in a food processor or blender. While chilies cook, cut up
two tortillas into small pieces. In a large saucepan, saute tortillas,
onion and garlic in 2 teaspoons canola oil until onions are soft. Add ancho
pepper puree or chili powder, chicken stock, tomato puree, cumin, oregano
and salt to saucepan. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30
minutes. Puree soup in a food processor and return it to saucepan. Stir in
lime juice and reheat. Slice remaining tortillas into 1/4inch x 2inch
strips. Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet. When oil is hot, add
tortilla strips and saute until crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer tortilla
strips to a paper towel to drain. Ladle soup into bowls and top with
tortilla strips, cheese and garnishes, as desired.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini