Slow Cookin': Veggie Tortilla Soup
Daylight savings coupled with this early onset of winter has left me completely listless by the time I get home at night. Instead of spiraling down a black hole of frozen dinners or microwaveable soups, I just plan ahead so I can be lazy later. It's a nice little compromise. The slow cooker is your best friend when it comes to planned laziness and this recipe is truly one of those "set it and forget it" meals. Do your grocery shopping Sunday, chop the veggies Sunday night and then throw it all in the slow cooker before work on Monday morning.
Say goodbye to manic Monday and hello to an easy-breezy meatless Monday. I've given you ample time. No excuses; play like a {lazy} champion.
Slow Cooker Veggie Tortilla Soup
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes prep, up to 8 hours in the slow cooker
Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
1 small bell pepper, diced (I used red)
4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
2 tbsp. cumin, gound
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. chili powder (I used a Fiesta Chili blend from Lakewinds Co-op bulk spices)
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can green chiles
4 c. water or broth of your choice
1/4 c. lime juice
1 tbsp. honey (or more, to taste)
1 tbsp. hot sauce of your choice (or more, to taste)
1 c. frozen corn kernels
salt/pepper, to taste
To Serve:
tortilla chips/strips (I had a bunch of broken pieces at the bottom of a bag of El Burrito Mercado's fresh tortilla chips that made for a perfect accompaniment!)
avocado, sliced
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Method:
1. Chop the sweet potato, onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper. Add garlic, chipotle peppers and spices. Stir to coat the veggies in the spices. Either store in the refrigerator overnight in preparation for cooking in the morning, or place it right into the insert of your slow cooker if you're ready to start cooking.
2. Add drained beans and green chiles to the veggies. Pour in water, lime juice, honey and hot sauce. Stir until well combined. Set slow cooker to low and let sit for about 6-8 hours (or high for up to 4 hours).
3. When ready to eat, remove chipotle peppers from the soup. Discard, or remove stems, chop and throw back into the soup. Pour in frozen corn kernels, stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings as you see fit. Let sit for a few minutes more until corn is heated. Top with tortilla chips/strips and serve with avocado slices and Greek yogurt or sour cream. Plop down on the couch and enjoy!
