Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

While winter seems never ending at least we can all feel ok about never leaving our houses. That means Netflix, homemade cookies, and so much soup. Also puppy snuggles. Rex is the best foot warmer. I've made tortilla soup twice so far and everyone has loved it. I went on a wild search for hominy and found 2 types at Wegman's- white and golden. I went with golden for the recipe. I also bought some dried hominy which I cooked with dried black beans for the second time I made tortilla soup. I found this recipe on Cookie+Kate!

• 1 dried ancho pepper, chopped with seeds if you want more spice
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño (if you want even more spice)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 14-ounce can hominy, rinsed
• 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed

In some ghee or coconut oil, sauté the onion for about 5 minutes. Add pepper and cook for a couple more minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then throw in the spices including the ancho pepper for a couple seconds. Add the broth, tomatoes, and paste. Bring mixture up to a boil and simmer for 1/2 an hour. Add in the beans and hominy. Simmer for 15 more minutes on low heat. Then if you can wait, let sit overnight for the flavors to meld and serve hot the next day! 

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese

Cilantro

Avocado

Tortilla chips (obvii)