Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

Ingredients

• 1 large avocado ripe cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 15 ounce tomatoes diced canned
• 4 cups vegetable stock 
• 3 large ancho chili pepper dried (or pasilla or ancho chiles)
• 0.3 teaspoon chipotle chili powder to taste (or )
• 6  corn tortillas 
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 4 cups kale packed chopped ()
• 1 large lime cut into 6 wedges
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon oregano 
• 3 cups pinto beans cooked
• 6 servings salt to taste
• 4 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• ladle
• oven
• knife
• pot
• blender

Directions

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Spray lightly with olive oil (optional) and add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Pour it all into the blender along with the chipotle powder and process until smooth. Return the pot to medium heat. When hot, add the puree and stir nearly constantly until thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 6 minutes. (Careful–watch for hot, bubbling “eruptions”!)
3. Add broth, water, oregano (if using), and drained pinto beans. Bring to a boil, then adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. While the soup is cooking, prepare the tortillas. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. Cut each tortilla in half (can be done in a stack if you have a sharp knife). Then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips.
5. Place the strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, if desired.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool uncovered until soup is ready.
8. Add spinach (or chard or kale) to the soup and season with salt to taste, depending on the saltiness of the broth. Cook, stirring, until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes for spinach, longer for chard or kale. Ladle the soup into 6 soup bowls. Divide avocado and tortilla chips among the bowls.
9. Serve warm, with lime wedges.