Fiesta Soup

Ingredients: 
2 diced chilis
1 diced red pepper
1 diced onion
1 cans of black beans (rinsed)
1 buillon cube
4 cups of water
1 can of marinara sauce
1 bag of frozen southwestern corn
4 Quorn cutlets
2 tbsp of olive oil or you could use cooking spray to reduce fat content






Dice up your veggies.  I dice them because the kiddos are more likely to eat them without the "ewwww" factor.  If the kiddos were older, I would probably chop to have better texture... that said, dicing them allows the flavors to blend quicker in the soup and speeds up saute time.

 Apparently - on this particular night, I felt like cutting the tip of my thumb off was party of the recipe process.  So -- I called in my little Mallory and I guess --Tokie, the fur baby, too for back up and assistance.

 After the band-aid and plastic doctor glove were in place, I carried on with the Fiesta Soup making!!

Heat up the 2 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.

 Once the oil is heated, throw in the diced (or chopped) onions, chilis and red pepper.  Saute for 3-5 minutes on medium-medium-high heat until everything is lucid, soft but not browning.

 Add the entire bag of Southwestern corn and give the pot a stir.

 Add the 2 cans of rinsed black beans to the pot and give it a stir.

Nuke the Quorn cutlets for 2 minutes to get the frost off and dice up into little pieces and add that to the mix.

Throw in your favorite marinara.

(This is my quick and easy way to do it.  If you want long and hard, look at making "gravy" - blanch tomatoes, peal back skins, roast with onion and garlic, puree and simmer in broth.  An awesome taste - worth the effort but on a Thursday after a long day in my office, homework and everything else... a jar of marinara it is!)

Add 4 cups of water ( or just fill the marinara jar up once) and add a cube of bullion or add your favorite or homemade vegetable broth.

 Bring to a boil and then to turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until all of your muchkins start complaining that they are hungry.

 Serve up by itself or with a cheese quesadilla.  I like to garnish with Mexican blend cheese, sour cream and salsa.  Enjoy this 200 calories of pure yumminess!

Garnish: mexi cheese, sourcream, fresh cilantro and so on.