Crockpot Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

*a handful of grape tomatoes (or any tomatoes will do)
*3 carrots
*black beans
*brown rice
*cheese - your choice - i used colby jack and cheddar
*1 clove of garlic
*1 green onion
*1.5 bell peppers
chicken broth or vegetable broth - or bouillon cubes - or water!
*frozen corn or fresh corn cut off the cob
*corn tortillas

all amounts are approximate, depending on your preference and how much soup you need to make!

seasonings:
parsley
cumin
chili powder
black pepper
paprika

***if you dont want to invest in a full bottle of cumin or chili powder, a packet of taco seasoning makes a great inexpensive substitute! (but really, you will save money in the long run just buying the seasonings themselves - and also save on strange chemicals - ha - i swear, check the ingredients!)

1. if you are using WIC approved dried beans, you will need to make those ahead of time. do it overnight in your crock pot and they will be ready to go the next day!
2. dice carrots, bell pepper, and green onion - add to beans or broth in the crockpot
3. if you or someone you are cooking for is squeamish about garlic, drop in the whole, peeled clove. otherwise feel free to crush it first.
4. add seasonings - i wasn't too precise here. just season to taste - a sprinkle of parsley, a dash of paprika, a good bit of black pepper. for the chili powder and cumin i used one of my son's baby spoons to measure - two spoonfuls of cumin, four of chili powder
5. cook on high for 2-3 hours
6. add in tomatoes, beans (if not already in), frozen corn, and cooked rice (optional). cook on high for another 2-3 hours.
7. just before serving the soup, cut corn tortillas into strips and lay out on a cookie sheet. bake at 450 for 5-7 minutes making sure not to over-cook.
8. serve this soup topped with shredded cheese and tortilla strips. if you dropped in a whole clove of garlic, remember to fish it out first and hide the evidence ;)



warning about this recipe - if you use regular tomatoes, dice them (obviously). if you use cherry/grape tomatoes, you might want to half them - i left mine whole and got a nice burst of scalding hot tomato seeds/juice on my tongue when i took a bite! oops! what will also work is if you have a can of diced or whole tomatoes or halves. add them a little later on though as they are already cooked, you dont want them to dissolve completely. also i dont think canned produce is covered on WIC?