(tortilla) soup

So, I really thought I had corn tortillas in the fridge, but probably should've checked before i left. i probably would've forgotten to buy them anyway since i forgot my grocery list.

anyway, i made tortilla soup sans tortilla. there's a story about tortilla soup. one of my favorite lunches to buy near my office is what qdoba calls "mexican gumbo" - basically a naked burrito (rice and beans in a bowl with) doused in their tortilla soup. their tortilla soup is the saltiest soup i've ever tasted. also, it tastes more canned than i'd like to admit. so. in the words of grandma sylvia "i could make better at home".

i've been intrigued by heidi's tortilla soup since i first saw it not too long ago. i followed the recipe with these basic changes:

1. i added two jalapeno peppers, chopped, with the garlic and onions. i like spice, and i love it to come from the produce and not the spice cabinet.

2. the canned tomatoes i used were the fire-roasted kind, and 1/2 of the sun-dried tomatoes i used were smoked. i thought this would add a depth of flavor, and i was right. sometimes as a vegetarian "smoked" flavored things turn me off. but this is delicious.

3. i added 2 cups of cooked brown rice and one can of black beans, to replicate the "gumbo" idea i love so much, after i blended the soup. excellent complimentary protein!

4. i didn't eat it with tortillas. it now occurs to me that i actually *do* have masa, so i could make tortillas, but standing over a hot cast iron griddle just doesn't appeal to me right now.

and, because today's the big cooking day, i have to go cook another pot of soup now!