Shrimp Tortilla Soup with Baked Chili Strips

I love tortilla soup, and my one of favortie recipe is my own Chicken Tortilla Soup.
This one with shrimp really spoke to me, originally in BHG (Better Homes and Garden).  It's really good and super simple to make too.  I've made some simple changes. 

All in all, this one came together in under 20 minutes, but I did have everything on hand.  My husband did say he liked the shrimp version better than the chicken one too.   Well.  I wouldn't go that far, but he's a seafood lover for sure.
 
I like to buy chili peppers, but sometimes, it's kind of confusing with all the different kinds.  This one calls for a poblano pepper (A beautiful dark green almost black chili usually about 4 to 5" long). In California these chiles are called pasilla. To add to the issue, when dried the poblano is called an ancho or mulato chile.  Maybe some of you don't have access to all these different kinds of peppers, so use a jalapeno or some other kind of pepper.

My advice?  Keep tasting and making sure you're happy with the taste.  Don't be worried about adding more lime, more salt and some chili powder or red pepper flakes if you like it a bit more zesty. 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 red pepper, chopped (1/2 cup), optional

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil

4 cups chicken, or vegetable broth

1/2-1 tsp teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 12 ounce package frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

1 cup frozen corn

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained or undrained

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced

1 small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and thinly sliced or chopped

Serve with

1 Recipe Chili Tortilla Strips
Chipotle Sour Cream, or regular sour cream

Make the tortilla strips first (recipe below) and get them going before you start the soup, as it takes a while to get them crisp enough.

In a 4- to 5- quart Dutch oven cook poblano pepper, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until just tender. 

Add broth, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling. Add frozen shrimp, corn and canned beans; return to boil.

Simmer, uncovered, about 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve in shallow bowls topped with avocado, chili Tortilla Strips and sour cream.

Chili Tortilla Strips

Ingredients

4- 6 inch corn tortillas

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp chili powder
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush, or spray,  one side of the corn tortillas with vegetable oil; sprinkle with chili powder, salt and pepper. With a pizza wheel, cut into strips and wedges. Place in a single layer on a very large baking sheet. Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until crisp.