Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yum! With so many ways to make chicken tortilla soup, this one is a variation (and time-saver) of her version my best friend Tara sent me. I don't have a large soup pot, so I used a crock-pot instead. Have fun with it. I hope you enjoy!

• 1 onion, chopped*
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 can corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
• 1 can hominy, undrained
• 1 (10-oz) can Rotel
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• cheese, sour cream, and avocado for topping

1. In crock pot or large soup pot, combine crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, corn, hominy, Rotel, and black beans.
2. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in chili powder.
3. Add onion/garlic mixture to soup pot. Stir in chicken and parsley. Add more water or chicken stock if desired.
4. On stove, bring soup to boil then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. For crock-pot, turn crock-pot to high and cook for 45 minutes to one hour.
5. Top with cheese, sour cream, and avocado slices if desired.

*Dixie doesn't like it when I cook with onions. To avoid this classic crying face from chopping onions, place onion in freezer 10 minutes prior to cutting.