mexican anyone?

**Mexican Chicken Soup**

4 chicken breasts

olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes (add half to pot and then puree half)

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

6-10 slices of canned jalapeno peppers chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

toppings

1 bag tortilla strips (found in the salad section of your grocery store)

sliced avocado

sour cream

cheddar cheese

Boil chicken until cooked through. Remove and shred. Set aside chicken and 2-3 cups of the chicken broth. Heat 3 TBsp of olive oil in large pot. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium heat for 10 mins, or until onions starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20min on low. Add chicken and simmer for another 10min. Serve with toppings.

I came across this recipe on the Barefoot Contessa's website and modified it a little to make it more "MOM" friendly ; ) Nothing is better than a nice warm boil of soup on a fall day!

Oh, how do you like my NEW look? It's compliments of April over at Sassy Fruit Studio's. I would recommend her to anyone. She did an AMAZING job and was so easy to work with!

thanks April!

COME back and visit on October 1st for some pre-HALLOWEEN fun! You won't want to miss it!

thanks for stopping buy!

xo

sandra