Ta Ta Turkey...

I make it no secret that I am cheap, er um, frugal. If you don't know that about me already then you don't know me much at all.

Leftovers are a staple here, so when I made a 16 pound turkey after Thanksgiving I knew we would be eating the bird for quite some time. We had turkey casserole three different ways, turkey breast hot sandwiches, turkey salad, and today we finished the last two cups of white and dark meat in turkey tortilla soup.

It felt great to use up corn and tomatoes from the pantry. It was a pretty cheap soup and the flavor hit the spot after all this traditional food, too. I fry up some homemade flour tortillas and cut them into chips for the top of the soup with a bit of cheese and it's delightful.

Turkey or Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes ( I used my own canned maters.)
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth ( I used water with bouillion)
1 1/4 cups water
2 cup whole corn kernels, cooked (more garden goodies from the freezer)
1 (4 sounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken whatever you have leftover...

tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
1.In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2.Stir in corn, chiles, beans, and turkey/chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3.Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.

MMM MMM, well you know the rest...