Chicken tortilla soup

Ok, I know that Sam just posted a recipe tonight, but I'm going to post mine all the same.  My story is just so much better on New Year's Eve!  I have (almost) never been a fan of New Year's.  It seems like every year I end up alone and sad, don't worry, I'm aware how pathetic this sounds.  I think the reason for my crappy experiences may go all the way back to 1999.  I was 16, sitting in the basement of my parents' house, waiting for my very good-looking boyfriend.  They say that whatever you're doing at the stroke of midnight on New Year's is what you will spend the next year doing.  This supersition would explain the whole kissing thing.  Who doesn't want to spend the next year kissing?  Well for me, on New Year's 1999 as midnight struck for the new millennium, I was still sitting alone in my parents' basement waiting for my boyfriend.  Yes, that's right, I was stood up, on New Year's of the new millennium, no less!  Previously mentioned good-looking boyfriend never showed as previously promised.  So like every girl would, I cried a little, and the next day? Well, he was no longer my boyfriend.  Here comes the problem, if we spend the next year doing what we were doing at the stroke of midnight, where did that leave me?  I wasn't exactly stood up all the time in the year 2000, but I also didn't have a whole lot of luck on the guy front.  Nor have I had much luck on the guy front since then, New Year's or no New Year's.  Apparently the superstition holds a little weight.  So here I am tonight, at home, avoiding any disaster that might befall me by posting an awesome new recipe.

What you will need for this GF recipe:
1 chicken breast
1/2 jalapeno
1/2 bell pepper (red, yellow, green, you decide, I used red, it was pretty)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup corn (I used frozen so that the remainder would keep for another night)
1/2 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 can diced Rotel tomatoes w/green chilies (feel free to use any diced tomatoes and add green chilies, this is just what I did)
1 can chicken broth (more or less depending on how "soupy" you like your soup)
1 corn tortilla
cumin
garlic powder
chili powder
black pepper
cheese, cilantro, avocado and other garnishments are optional

Start by drizzling chicken breast w/olive oil and then season w/cumin, garlic powder and chili powder.  Use as much or as little as you like, more chili powder creates more heat.  I then baked my chicken for about 25 minutes on 375 degrees.  You can cook yours however you want (baking is healthier though:).  While the chicken is cooking I prepped my other ingredients.  Dice your jalapeno and bell pepper and mince your garlic.  You will want to cut your corn tortilla into strips of about a quarter inch wide and one to two inches long.  If you want to look fancy make them all uniform, if you just want to eat, who gives a shit!  Start sauteeing your veggies in a bit of olive oil if your chicken is still cooking.  I sauteed them in my soup pot to limit the number of dirty dishes.  When your veggies have sauteed for a few minutes add your diced tomatoes, juice and all.  I let this concoction simmer a minute and then added my chicken broth, black beans, and corn.  I left the heat on medium and let my soup boil a bit.  Add black pepper, cumin, garlic powder and chili powder to taste, I did just a dash of each.  When your chicken is ready shred it with 2 forks and add it to your soup.  I let things simmer a bit longer at this point.  Go ahead and dish up whenever you are ready.  Add tortilla strips and other garnishments (cheese, cilantro, avocodo, lime).  Give the soup a minute to cool and enjoy!

So I have to be honest here, there are some times that I cook and I think "meh, that was OK."  This time with this recipe I thought "damn, I'm awesome."  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Now, one last thing, a few options-the chicken in this recipe is great on it's own, try it with the seasoning, you'll love it.  Add the chicken to Megan J's enchiladas if you're not into the whole vegetarian thing, although I'm not a vegetarian and they were still delish as is.  Use left over corn tortillas in Megan J's recipe instead of flour tortillas and you'll have a great GF option (I think).  Drain the broth and throw the rest of the mess on tortilla chips as part of nachos.  As you can tell this recipe is quite versatile, as are the ingredients in it.

I hope your New Year's Eve experience is better than my past experiences!
Megan S