FIXATE: Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

I will admit this was a less "chunky" soup than I had in mind going from the picture in the Fixate cookbook (because you do puree the onions/celery). BUT I was very pleasantly surprised at the amazing taste and it was still very filling. Yes it's tortilla soup and oops I forgot to top my soup in the picture with tortilla crumbs before diving in! I did add them later. Fun texture! 

SERVES: 4 (approx. 1 1/2 c. each serving)

PREP TIME: 15 min.

COOKING TIME: 31 min.

21 DAY FIX CONTAINER EQUIVALENTS: 

2 Green, 1 Yellow, 1 1/2 Red, 1 Blue

INGREDIENTS:

8 6-inch corn tortillas, divided use
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. sliced celery (~4 med. stalks)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
6 c. low-sodium organic chicken broth, divided use
3 c. chopped rotisserie chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 1/2 c. sliced carrots (~3 med.)
1 tsp. dried mexican oregano leaves
1 tsp. ground ancho chili powder (or ground chili powder)
1/2 tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 medium avocado, chopped
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
4 tsp. crumbled Cotija (or feta) cheese


DIRECTIONS:

1. preheat oven to 350*
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place tortillas on baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toasted and crispy (mine took closer to 15/20 minutes till crispy enough to crumble). Remove from oven. When cool, break into pieces and set aside.
4. Heat oil in large saucepan over MED heat.
5. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 min, or until onion is transluscent.
6. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 min.
7. Add tomatoes; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 min or until tomatoes are soft. Set aside.
8. Add onion mixture, 2 cups broth, and HALF the toasted corn tortilla pieces to blender (or food processor); cover. Blend until smooth.
9. Add blended mixture to large saucepan. Add remaining 4 cups broth, chicken, carrots, oregano, chili powder, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil over MED-HIGH heat. Reduce heat to MED-LOW; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 min, or until carrots are tender.
10. Top each serving evenly with avocado, cilantro, cheese, and remaining toasted tortilla pieces.

TIP: for vegetarian version, replace chicken broth with low-sodium organic vegetable broth and omit chicken breast.

Nutritional Info (per serving):

Calories 480, Total Fat 15g, Saturated fat 3g, Cholesterol 99mg, Sodium 625mg, Carbohydrates 42g, Fiber 9g, Sugars 8g, Protein 48g.