Mom's Tortilla Soup

 Mom's Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
8-12 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8-12 guajillo peppers (available at Mexican specialty markets)
16 cups chicken broth, divided
salt
Corn tortillas
Canola oil
Cheese (cojito, jack, or cheddar)
Sour cream
Avocado, sliced

In a large pot, boil the peppers in 4 cups of chicken broth until they're soft (about 20-30 min). Remove peppers from the broth; add the remaining broth to the pot and simmer.
Remove the seeds and veins from the peppers, scrape the fleshy part off of the skin (you end up with a paste) and put it back into the broth.
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until tender. Add them to the broth. Add salt to taste and blenderize until smooth (we use a stick blender). Simmer for at least one hour.
While the soup is simmering, cut the tortillas into small strips and fry in canola oil until crispy.
Makes about 16 x 1-cup servings of soup (50 cal). Serve with fried tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and avocado if desired.

I've been kind of obsessed with my mom's tortilla soup recently. It is so spicy and delicious, and she's got it down to only 50 calories per cup. I usually eat it with a little shredded cheese (usually cheddar) melted into it and a tbsp or so of sour cream, and sometimes some avocado for some healthy fat. I pretty much always skip the fried tortilla strips, although it is really delicious with them if you don't mind the extra carbolicious calories! 
I think it makes a really great wintertime, post-sleeve meal because it goes down well and feels good in my tummy, yet keeps me pretty full because of the protein in the cheese. I've never made it before myself, but I think I'm going to give it a go with some homemade chicken stock after the holiday.