Being a gardener in August is a wonderful thing.
Even for a Former Black Thumb! [Can I call myself a Former Black Thumb if I still kill indoor plants? I guess that is debatable…]
I now have enough organic kale to supply Whole Foods. ;)
The sweetest tomatoes I’ve tasted!
We’ve been enjoying toasted tomato basil sandwiches lately. Just toast some bread, spread on Earth Balance, layer on the fresh tomatoes and basil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Nothing beats it!
Spring onions:
Gorgeous red peppers, soooo very sweet and crisp.
and many that still haven’t turned colour yet.
Banana Peppers too!
I turned some of our garden bounty into a delicious tortilla soup last night. Eric strained his back doing renos on the weekend, so I figured a healing soup (and massage) was just what the doctor ordered. While I can’t say that I healed his back, it sure put a big smile on his face!
Sometimes, a smile and a huge bowl of tortilla soup is all that you can ask for.
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Vegan Tortilla Soup
A wonderful soup to transition from end of summer into Fall. It packs a bounty of summer flavours, with a warming comfort for those cooler summer evenings. Be sure to season well, as it will really bring out the flavours. We added a hefty handful of vegan cheese, chopped avocado, tortilla strips, and green onion on top to really round out this hearty and filling dish.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 ear fresh corn
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp ground cumin
- One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can chopped green chili peppers, drained (optional)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
- 1.5-2 cups cooked black beans (or beans of choice)
- salt & pepper & crushed red chili pepper, to taste
- Fresh lime juice, to garnish on top
- Non-Dairy Cheese (I use Daiya cheese), for sprinkling
- Chopped avocado, for garnish
- Tortilla sticks (flour tortillas, olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, to taste)
1. In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on medium broil setting.
2. Meanwhile, chop the peppers, zucchini, green onion, and remove corn from cob (I take a chef’s knife and slice down the 4 sides). Add the veggies into the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes, cumin, broth, and chia seeds. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes. Stir in drained and rinsed beans just before serving.
4. Meanwhile, make your tortilla strips. Slice flour tortillas into 2 inch strips (see below). Place in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on garlic powder and chili powder (to taste) and mix well with hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for up to 3 minutes on medium. Watch very carefully. When golden, remove from oven.
5. After the soup simmers, ladle into bowls, and top with chopped avocado, fresh lime juice, cheese, green onion, and tortilla strips. Serve immediately. Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen for 1 month.
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The fresh corn added a sweet crispness to the soup. Much better than the canned variety!
All the veggies sautéing…
After adding the cumin, tomatoes, broth, and salt & pepper.
This soups really shines with salt, pepper, a bit of crushed red pepper flakes, and Herbamare. I didn’t add chili peppers as Eric isn’t a fan of spicy food, but if I was making it for myself I would to give it a nice kick.
I also stirred in 2 tbsp of chia seeds to pack in more nutrition and thicken the broth slightly.
While the soup was simmering, I made some tortilla strips by slicing up an Ezekiel tortilla and sprinkling on olive oil, chili powder, and garlic powder. I broiled it on medium heat for 3 minutes until golden and crisp. They tasted amazing!
Your healing dinner is served, complete with Daiya cheese, fresh lime juice, chopped avocado, tortilla strips, Herbamare, pepper, and green onion!
With a side of tortilla chips and salsa. :) I really wish we had some Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips instead of these white corn ones though. We have a little obsession with the FSTG chips lately, but we don’t buy them much because they are pricey.
We both loved this soup! The best part is that we have plenty of leftovers to enjoy for quick lunches this week. You can also freeze it for up to a month if you desire.
I just realized that I meant to add kale into this soup too! Oops.
Let the transition from Summer into Fall begin…
Don’t forget you have until tomorrow to enter my Lululemon giveaway!
I just made this now and couln’t wait until dinner, it’s absolutely delicious – yum yum! Thanks so much for the recipe – it’s a keeper!
Hi Angela!
I was just curious why you note that this can only be frozen a month. I discovered a batch of this recipe in the freezer from last winter and I would love to re-heat and blend with an immersion blender. Do you think this would be a bad idea?
Thanks!
JJ
Id say go for it! I think I just assumed (perhaps incorrectly?) that it would be freezer burned after 1 month. Maybe I am not storing my soups properly. Let me know if you try it!
I still have my umbilical cord attached I am such a new vegan. 4 months to be exact. But I love it. I am starting a website to chronicle my weight loss with my new found veganism. But I tell you, I keep on eating the AMAZING recipes you have on this site, I may not lose weight. This was one of my favorite so far. Just the amazingly wonderful flavors amplified by all the wonderful fresh veggies. Thank you for all the work you put into to your site. I am learning it is a crap ton of work. I hope some day to be half the blogger/culinary artist you are. Thank you, again.
Hey Corrie, Thank you so much for your lovely comment! That means so much to me. Goodluck with everything.
Ok, so seriously, this is the BEST Tortilla Soup I have EVER had! Wow, this blew my mind. I am going to have to make it every week. And adding the chia seeds made it the most perfect consistency! Great job and thanks for sharing!!! :)
today is my first day of veganism…and this was the first vegan meal i ate..thank you was delicious
Congrats Talia!
Made this for dinner last night, delish!! Love all the chunky veg in it. I will def make this one again and again. Thanks for sharing all your great recipes!!
Do you think I could make this in my crock pot?
Thanks!
This was soooooooo good. New favorite!
I made this last night and it was fantastic! We had fresh peppers to use from our CSA so I used those instead of the bell peppers and canned chilies. I added a couple handfuls of kale at the end with kidney beans instead of the black beans, left out the zucchini, and added a spoonful of our homemade habanero hot sauce. Most recipes I have found for tortilla soup were blended, but I was craving something brothy with more texture. Thank your for the recipe!
Looks like you missed the black beans. They’re listed in the ingredients but not in the instructions.
Haha I forgot to add them in there and it still tasted amazing
I made this for my vegan daughter and chicken noodle for those who wanted meat. There was a lot of chicken noodle soup left over, while this soup was almost entirely gone. YUMMY!!
Just made this and wow! This is so delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe :)
I made this soup and used “crushed tomatoes” which made it into a tomato base. I am wondering if you mean’t chopped tomatoes. It tasted more like a chili, a good one, but not quite what I was expecting.
This is one of my favorite recipes from your site! It really hits the spot. I like to throw a HUGE scoop of guacamole on top!
It’s been a wonky season. Crop failure in the chili pepper beds and only one zucchini so far. It took pride of place in this recipe today. It’s cool enough for soup, and it was easy and delicious. Thanks!
Sounds delish! Love your site Where do you live that your garden grows so well?
I absolutely LOVE this soup. My husband loved it also!! Will make again and again!!! Thanks so much!
Omg just made this it was fantastic!
Just made this a few nights ago with my husband and we both LOVED it! This is a definite addition to our soup menu!
A noticed some omissions in the directions which is fine but for newer cooks a few notes:
-We added the green chiles at the same time as the canned tomatoes since it did not specify.
+We cut up additional green onions to garnish since it did not specify “divided”
Modifications:
-We used a 4 oz can and used canned jalapenos instead for added heat.
-We used vegan chicken broth so it would be more like a chicken tortilla soup and DOUBLED the broth to 6 cups total.
-My husband hates corn (WEIRDO) so I just chopped up extra veggies.
-We garnished with some cilantro as well :)
I made this soup tonight and it was fantastic. I was out of zucchini but I had small butternut squash on hand and it was perfect. My husband had three bowls. I will definitely make this again.