Tortilla Soup a la Tart

1 pound frozen corn kernals

3 large onions, chopped

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped Sweet red peppers, fresh, bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped pepper sweet yellow peppers
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, extra virgin
zest of one lime
½ fluid ounce Lime Juice
3 cup Chicken stock, home made
3 cups water
1, 14.5 ounce can diced tomates
2 tablespoon Chipotle Chile Peppers, in adobo sauce, chopped (seeds removed)

½ teaspoon Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal)

8 corn tortillas, fresh
Olive Oil for brushing tortillas
3/4 cup Cilantro leaves,chopped, fresh

1 - In bottom of stock pot, combine corn, onions, peppers and olive oil and cook, over medium heat, until corn has begun to brown and onions are beginning to caramelize.

2 - Add zest and juice of 1 lime, stock, water, tomates, and salt to pot. Continue cooking until soup begins to simmer.

3 - In the meantime, brush each tortilla with olive oil (thanks to my husband for this suggestion) and then cut into strips. Cook on sheet pan in a 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until strips are crispy.

4 - Add cilantro to soup along with most of the tortilla strips, reserving a couple handfuls of strips for the garnish; pour into bowls, top with remaining strips and serve immediately.

Makes 8, 1 cup servings. Per serving:

A Balanced Meal from a Balanced Day

It's a time of rebirth for many of us. Heck, even if we don't have to take off 15 lbs gained over the holidays, it just is a time where we all kind of reset our clocks, evaluate our maps and rechart our courses.

Tonight on SERVING up a SMILE, I speak of three dishes that make up a very balanced, very flavorful, and I dare say: restaurant quality meal.

Find the recipes here:

Asian Inspired Salmon

Kale with Citrus

Hato Mugi (Job's Tears) cooked in Stock


This meal was so satisfying that I wish I had come up with it in time for submission to Balanced Days, Balanced Lives in which I was fortunate enough to have been a contributor to this year. I guess this is one for my own book (due out in 2011).

And check out the stats:

If health and balance is what you seek, I highly recommend Balanced Days, Balanced Lives. It is the story of how 42 real people used NutriMirror, a free online food log and nutrient management tool to achieve balance. Personally, I have lost (and more importantly, maintained) 90 lbs. NutriMirror is an amazing free tool and the book is a small price to pay for a well-illustrated, meal by meal anthology, of these people finding balance.

Many years of my life were spent struggling with weight, health issues and low self esteem; I attribute this to having my priorities backwards. It seems so simple now: by managing my nutrients and eating whole, minimally processed foods, I no longer struggle. This is what balance is all about: uniting the foods I crave with the foods my body needs (with room for some discretionary treats!).

This is what I mean when I say love the foods that love you back™.

All the best,

Lynn
The Country Tart