Atomic Tortilla Soup Georgieboy Style

Last year over PAX weekend we spent a lot of time with our online buddy GeorgieboysAxe from Press Pause Radio. My favorite memory with him was his response to the server who asked him what type of dressing he'd like with his salad: "Do you have a bottle of Tapatio Hot Sauce? I'll just use that." And sure enough he used, like, half the bottle on his salad. It turns out, he was on to something. Maybe not as far as a salad dressing, but adding it to soup for a nice *BAM!* punch of spice. So I used George as my inspiration for this soup: Atomic Tortilla Soup Georgieboy Style. This is SPICY. But delicious. YUM!!



Ingredients:
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 can of normal diced tomatoes
1 roma tomato chopped
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 green bell pepper
1 bunch of green onions
black olives sliced
shredded cheese (you can use soy based cheese to make this dish vegan)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/8 cup Tapatio
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips (The Frosted Vegan has a recipe for homemade chips worth checking out). We didn't have any chips or tortilla's so I used little crackers. Worked just fine! xD
optional: water or broth of choice

To Make:
In a pan with EVOO, saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, and stir for a few seconds. Add both cans of tomatoes and mix well. Then add the bell pepper, roma tomato, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, Tapatio, nutritional yeast, and salt & pepper. Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.



This makes enough soup for me and Aaron to have 1 1/2 bowls each. You can add water or broth of some type to make more servings. Don't worry if it looks thin or watery. I promise you it won't be when you eat it. The secret to a thick and hearty tortilla soup is not the broth~ it's what you put in the bowl before the broth.



Prepare each bowl with a handful of chips, a good amount of cheese and more Tapatio. The chips are going to soak up the soup and thicken up. The cheese melts inside the soup and each bit becomes a goo-ie goodness in every bite. It's tortilla soup perfection.



Once you ladle in the soup, top with more cheese, green onions, and (if you're crazy like me) half a can of olives. YUM! Definitely a dish to share with others. It's also a fun pantry empty-ing soup~ add a can of corn or beans. This soup is one of my "go to" recipes and has been a favorite in my family for years. If you try this, let me know what you think! What's one of your favorite "go to" recipes? I'd love to add more to my list. :D