Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

I can't believe it's been SO long since I last checked in! I really love running this blog but sometimes life gets in the way. 


What's my excuse this time? Well, I just moved to New York. Moving here was something I've wanted to do for a long time, so this is an incredibly exciting time in my life. Daunting and kinda scary, but exciting as well. Aren't all big life changes a combination of fear and fun? 


Anyway, it's been quite toasty here as of late, but when I first got here last week it was pouring. It literally poured every day for a week but I couldn't complain. I quite like rain, except when I have lots of errands to run. Schlepping your luggage across town in the rain is no fun. 

Topped with blue tortilla chips. 

One night I was alone at my friend's apartment and wanted to make something cozy but light. Filling, but appropriate for the weather. Being that Mexican food is my favorite, I immediately thought of a hearty vegetarian tortilla soup. 


I used this recipe, which came together quickly and was absolutely delicious. I will probably omit the tofu the next time I make this, or use silken tofu because the firm tofu chunks distracted from the perfection of the broth. 

Pan-fried tofu. Let it brown a bit. 

Changes to the recipe:
1. I couldn't find ancho chiles so I used 1 Serrano chile instead that I found at Whole Foods (yes, I can now go to Whole Foods regularly! and I couldn't be happier!). Keep in mind that you don't want to touch the chile with your hands bare or you might run the risk of touching your eye or nose and totally burning yourself. It's happened to me; it's not fun. 
2. I didn't have epazote so I just left it out. 
3. I used spinach instead of swiss chard. 
4. I used a vegan no-chickn' bouillon cube, which added a nice vegan chicken flavor. 


This soup is really yummy and like most soups, only gets better the next day. It can also easily be made vegan if you omit the cheese. 


Note: As you can see in the photo, there is a rim of oil around the soup. Being that I put only 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot to sauté the onions, I think the culprit is the bouillon cube. Either way, it didn't taste oily.