Tortilla, Sautéed Cornand Plum Tomato Soup

This soup is spicy but very good! It is taken from The Complete Light Kitchen by Rose Reisman. I brushed the tortillas with olive oil, then cut them into thin slices. I baked them in a 400F oven for 7 to 9 minutes. I also used a red pepper instead of the green.

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
3/4 cup canned corn kernels, drained
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp basmati rice
1 tsp hot chili paste
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup thinly sliced flavored flour tortillas
1/3 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream


1. Spray a non-stick saucepan with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Cook the onion, green pepper and garlic, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden. Stir in the corn and cook for 5 minutes, or until the corn begins to brown.
2. Stir in the stock, black beans, rice and chili paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 12 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, cornstarch (dissolved in 1 tbsp of water) and salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish each serving with tortilla strips, fresh herbs and sour cream.