I’m coming up for air. I’ve spent the past couple of days working on the redesign of Fatfree Vegan Recipes, the website that spawned this blog. Although the really tricky stuff like coding and css and, for all I know, nuclear particle acceleration was done by a very talented web designer at E. Webscapes, I’ve had the incredibly mind numbing (and eye straining and finger cramping) job of copying and pasting all of the old recipes into the new format.

I’ve had my daughter helping me, and so far we’re only up to number 76 of 1300, a realization that makes me want to run screaming into the street. I don’t trust myself to do any more right now (letters are starting to slide around on the screen), so I thought I’d take a break from all that and post you a recipe.

Unfortunately, posting a recipe requires looking at a screen, and the letters are starting to slide around here too (a few are even break dancing). So excuse me if I’m too brief or misspell or suddenly start swearing like Gordon Ramsay. This soup was delicious, and it deserves better treatment than I can give it right now, but thems the breaks.

The short story behind it is that I saw it, or the one it’s based on, in Eating Well magazine, and couldn’t resist making it, with a few changes:

Instead of tofu I used pinto beans. Then I doubled the amount of pinto beans because I wanted it main-dishier (see, I’m making up words; swearing can’t be far behind). I used Mexican oregano instead of epizote because I like Mexican oregano and don’t have any epizote. I added chipotle powder because I wanted it to be spicier (without it, it’s deeply chile-flavored but not spicy at all). I divided it into 6 servings instead of 8 because my family and I eat like pigs (only messier) and because I wanted it to be main-dishier (see #2).

I hope you’ll enjoy it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go take a walk before I get back to swearing at my computer screen.

Print Pin 5 from 5 votes Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans Adding pinto beans makes this vegan tortilla soup more of a main dish, but it could be even heartier with more greens and vegetables added. Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 55 minutes Servings 6 Author Susan Voisin Ingredients 3 large dried New Mexico chiles (or pasilla or ancho chiles, see note below) 3 large dried New Mexico chiles (or pasilla or ancho chiles, see note below)

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes preferably fire-roasted 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes preferably fire-roasted

1 medium onion chopped 1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves garlic peeled 3 cloves garlic peeled

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional) 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste) 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)

4 cups vegetable broth or no-chicken broth 4 cups vegetable broth or no-chicken broth

4 cups water 4 cups water

3 cups cooked pinto beans (or canned, drained) 3 cups cooked pinto beans (or canned, drained)

salt to taste salt to taste

6 corn tortillas 6 corn tortillas

1 large lime cut into 6 wedges 1 large lime cut into 6 wedges

4 cups chopped spinach chard, or kale leaves (packed) 4 cups chopped spinach chard, or kale leaves (packed)

1 ripe large avocado cut into 1/4-inch cubes (optional, but very good) 1 ripe large avocado cut into 1/4-inch cubes (optional, but very good) Instructions Toast the chiles. If you have a gas stove, you can hold them with tongs over the flame one at a time for a few seconds until fragrant. But if like me you use an electric stove, put them in a dry skillet over medium heat and press them flat for a few seconds on each side. (See Notes below for using chile powder instead.)

When the chilies are cool enough to handle, stem and seed them, tear them into pieces, and put them in a blender along with tomatoes and their juice.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes, adding water by the tablespoon if it starts to stick. Pour it all into the blender along with the chipotle powder and process until smooth.

Return the pot to medium heat. When hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. (Careful–watch for hot, bubbling “eruptions”!) Add broth, water, oregano (if using), and drained pinto beans. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortillas. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut each tortilla in half (can be done in a stack if you have a sharp knife). Then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Place the strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool uncovered until soup is ready.

Add spinach (or chard or kale) to the soup and season with salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes for spinach, longer for chard or kale.

Ladle the soup into 6 soup bowls. Divide avocado and tortilla chips among the bowls. Serve warm, with lime wedges. Notes Using dried chiles gives this soup a great flavor, but if they are unavailable, you can try using a pure chile powder, such as Ancho, instead. No need to toast, just add it to the blender with the tomatoes. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed. Be sure the chile you are using is mild, unless you want it spicy! If you skip the avocado, each serving contains 228 calories and 1.5g fat. One serving without avocado is 2 points on Weight Watchers Freestyle program. Count the avocado separately. Nutrition Facts Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans Amount Per Serving (1 serving) Calories 282 Calories from Fat 57 % Daily Value* Fat 6.3g 10% Sodium 489mg 21% Carbohydrates 48g 16% Fiber 13.7g 57% Sugar 3.7g 4% Protein 12.4g 25% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Tried this recipe? Post a photo to Instagram and tag @susanffvk

Pinable image below:











