Mexican Rice Soup

This Mexican Rice Soup recipe by Heather McDougall caught my attention because I love all the ingredients. But as we all know, sometimes "healthy" doesn't satisfy the palate. I followed the recipe to the letter and Rusty's comment was, "It isn't healthy if no one will eat it." So we doctored it a bit. It's still healthy, but not as strictly as the original. 

We put TWO Tablespoons of chili powder in it for more spice. Because it has tomatoes in it, they tend to taste acidic, we cut that with 2 teaspoons of raw sugar. We added a teaspoon of salt. We also added a cup of roasted corn. I made this in my Instant Pot. If you have one, it makes it much easier. 

I recommend you start with the original recipe, then add to that as needed. We used the tortilla suggestion and ate it as a taco filling. Very nice. 

MEXICAN RICE SOUP

By Heather McDougall

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can black beans drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can pinto beans drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 cup long–grain brown rice, toasted (see note)

Salt to taste

Toppings:

- Chopped tomato

- Sliced scallions

- Salsa

- Baked tortilla chips

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon low-sodium vegetable            stock or water over medium-high heat for 7 minutes. (Gale note: if you add the chili              powder at this point as you cook, it will give it better flavor)

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

3. Season to taste.

4. Serve with toppings of your choice, or the ones listed above.

(Note: To toast the rice, put the uncooked grain in a nonstick pan preheated to medium-high and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, or until it is lightly browned.)

Since this is such a thick soup, I like to have this rolled up in a tortilla for leftovers the next day. This recipe also lends itself well to using different ingredients that you have on hand. Switch up the beans, use some roasted corn, or add some kale. If you don’t want it to be so thick, add some additional stock or water. Enjoy!

From drmcdougall.com