Friday's Food: Tortilla Soup

With the weather turning cold I turn to soup. I love this one, it's spicy and gives me something different to do with my chicken. Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast halves without skin, cooked & shredded
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low sodium chicken broth, fat-free (or full on salt & fat if you prefer)
1 cup salsa
2 14-oz cans diced tomato, opt. with green chiles, undrained : or equivalent fresh
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup light sour cream1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (6 oz) - optional
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tortilla, whole wheat


Directions
1. Cook chicken - either roast, bake or poach - your choice
2. Preheat oven to 350*.
3. Cut each tortilla in half & cut those halves into 1/4-inch strips. Arrange tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring after 3 minutes. Cool completely.
4. In large saucepan heat oil over med-hi heat.
5. Add onion, green pepper & garlic. Saute until soft, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa, chili powder, basil, oregano, cumin & pepper and bring to a boil.
7. Stir in chicken. Cover & simmer 30 minutes or longer. If soup seems too thick add more broth.
8. Stir tortilla strips into soup. Serve hot.
9. Top each serving with 1T cheese, cilantro & 1T sour cream (optional)

Per Serving: 214 Calories; 3g Fat (11.1% calories from fat); 1g Saturated fat; 30g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 609mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.