My first announcement for the evening is the winner of the Rachel Ray 2-piece Baker Set. Random.org chose Emma. Please email me! Thanks everyone who participated!
So Ryan NEVER asks me to make soup for him but on this occasion I receive an email during the day asking me if I had my Chicken Tortilla soup recipe on hand to share with others. I gladly obliged, but then I knew there was more to his inquiry. Five emails later it was settled that I was making the soup for dinner. No problem because I was still not set on dinner plans. I like making my husband happy and he usually does not have requests (even though I am open to them), so I was really glad to work on the soup.
Since I did not have all the ingredients Ryan stopped by the store quickly and we timed it so that I could start dinner as soon as he got home since he had a rehearsal to attend. On top of this I also had to create a similar soup for this vegan. Since I created the Chicken Tortilla soup before I was vegan, I had to quickly modify. I looked in my fridge and decided to sub the meat for vegan sausage.
I recently came across a vegan company called Match foods, where they offer meat alternatives, but I had not found a place where they offered the product except for the Whole Foods in Ann Arbor. Two weeks ago I found a little Co-op near my house that had several Match meats to choose from, so I chose to try the sausage.
 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
All of the ingredients are natural and it was VERY flavorful in my tortilla soup. Of course, this company several different flavors but this Smoked Apple Sage sausage did not disappoint at all.
Here are some of the listed ingredients: Water, Textured vegetable protein (soy protein concentrate, caramel color), Soy protein concentrate, Canola oil, Wheat gluten, Natural flavors, Modified vegetable gum, Isolated soy protein, Dextrose, Caramel color, Carrageenan, Locust bean gum, Beet powder. Match is a soy product with no animal ingredients. Match contains Soy and Wheat. (From Match website)
So on I went and prepared 2 different pots of tortilla soup, one with chicken and one with vegan sausage, and surprisingly enough we were eating within 30 to 45 minutes. Ryan thought that the preparation and cooking was quick and I agreed and asked if the soup lacked any flavor. He agreed that the flavor was perfect just as he remembered back when I made it before. He asked to taste mine since I had also added some spinach with the vegan sausage. He was fascinated by the sausage concept and agreed it was good. Both recipes posted here can be doubled since I halved the recipe last night. The results were a success. Perfect for a snowy evening!
 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Since Ryan does not like terribly spicy foods this recipe has the perfect amount of spice. If you do not have Tony’s substitute with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Corn tortillas are a must in this recipe. White tortillas will make this soup gloopy and a change the consistency of the original recipe.
Thick Chicken Tortilla Soup
serves 4
2 boneless uncooked chicken breasts,diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-16 ounce petite diced tomatoes
1-16 ounce tomato sauce
1 cup corn kernels
1 carrot, diced
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (See note above recipe)1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Taco seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
6 corn tortillas, cut in 8 (See note above recipe)
For a quick dinner, heat oil in medium soup pot and cook diced raw chicken. [If you like shredded chicken, you can boil chicken, cool and shred and then add to soup saving the broth on the side for the soup.]
Add onions, pepper, carrots, and garlic and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except tortillas and boil for 15 minutes. Add tortillas and boil for 10 to 15 more minutes until the tortillas break up and the soup has thickened.
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and corn tortilla chips to crush in soup. Avocado slices are optional and ideally for a soup that is vegetarian.
 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Vegan Sausage Tortilla Soup
serves 4
1 vegan Match sausage link, sliced (also comes in Chipotle flavor)
3 cups water
1/2 vegan bouillon cube
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-16 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1-16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 carrot, diced
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 tsp Tony’s Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Taco seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1 tsp cumin
6 corn tortillas, cut in 8
Heat olive oil in medium soup pot and sauté onions, garlic, carrots, pepper for 5 minutes. Add sliced sausage and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients except tortillas and spinach and boil for 15 minutes. Add tortillas and boil for 10 to 15 more minutes until the tortillas break up and the soup has thickened. The spinach is the last thing to be added.
Serve with Tofutti sour cream and avocado slices. Crushed corn chips are optional.
