Vegetable Tortilla Soup

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My little sister got married last week. It's still hard for me to believe. Despite the fact that we are both grown ups and I have been married for 5+ years myself, I think I still see her a bit as a kid. But it fills me with so much joy to see her settling down with a man who makes her laugh and who is brimming with love for her. I've been smiling all week with remembrances of moments from the wedding and the busy week leading up to it. It was lovely to pass the time with my sister and mom checking off all of the little last-minute tasks. I even got to sleep in the same bed as my sis for a couple of nights--something we haven't done since the night before my wedding--and talk and catch up as we drifted off to sleep. The quality family time was just the peaceful jolt my soul needed.

My beautiful little sister and her husband.

Joe and I arrived back from Austin to an extra rainy, dreary week here in NYC. To settle back in and to waste away a relaxing Monday off together, we whipped up a batch of tortilla soup. This is my favorite version we've made to date, so I'm sharing it with you even though I didn't get any pictures to go along with the recipe. I hope you get the opportunity to prepare this comforting soup and share it with your own loved ones soon.

Vegetable Tortilla Soup
serves 6-8
2 TB cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks green garlic or green onions, whites and greens chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1 c. water
32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 c. sliced kale
10 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 t. seasoned salt
1 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin

1 avocado, sliced
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

Heat the cooking oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven. Add the onion and cook until slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Add the green garlic and bell pepper and cook until these are also slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the frozen corn and stir for a minute, then add in the enchilada sauce, water and chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then add the cremini mushrooms, kale, kidney beans, seasoned salt, chili powder and cumin. Cook until it all comes to a boil and the mushrooms are slightly tender and the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as you please.
Serve in bowls topped off with the sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, a good handful of cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.