Southwestern Chicken Soup

Southwestern Chicken Soup

• 1 large sweet potato, cubed into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• generous 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded (or diced into bite-sized pieces) cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 14-oz can of diced--preferably fire-roasted)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro

for garnish: additional cilantro, diced avocado, shredded Monterey Jack cheese,

crushed tortilla chips

-Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large (6 to 8 quart) stock pot. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften and brown around the edges.

-Crush the garlic directly into the pan.

-Add the cumin. Add salt & pepper to taste.

-Pour in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

-When the broth begins to boil, add the sweet potatoes. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the sweet potatoes until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 5 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are soft, stir in the chicken and tomatoes.

-Pour in the lime juice.

-Stir in the cilantro. Remove from the heat and serve topped with shredded Monterey Jack, chopped avocado and/or crushed tortilla chips, sour cream.