Hello, happy Taco Tuesday! Today is a bit different with this whole "Stay Home" order, but we love a challenge and today is no different. It's gloomy and chilly today, so I was feeling like some soup! Ashley is usually the soup maven, but we are doing our best to maintain social distance (as tough as that's been). So today I'm giving a shout out to my sister over at BridgeringTheGap.com for reminding me it was Taco Tuesday + providing me with this recipe and helping me be less wasteful (and find some substitutions)!
Though I didn't have the called for diced stewed tomatoes, I did have some over ripe tomatoes about to start melting in my fridge... tomatoes, CHECK! I was lucky enough to lay my hands on a pound of hamburger last week I had put in my freezer for a "rainy day". Well, today isn't raining (yet) but it's definitely a warm meal kind of day... hamburger, CHECK! Ashley + I were raised in small towns, so we are used to having at least one can of our essentials (or for me with a lot of pantry space, three cans), so black beans + corn, CHECK! Now, the original recipe calls for a can of black-eyed peas, which I didn't have but wasn't too worried about it, but it also calls for a can of chili, but I'm just not a fan... tastes too much like ketchup to me, so my sister said to use my favorite seasoning... Ashley + I have our go-to seasoning (McCormick's Slow-Cooker Fiesta Chicken Seasoning) and have probably run out once since discovering it, + vowed that would never happen again, so Fiesta Chicken Seasoning, CHECK!
This recipe can be served with chips... I had a bag, but they were stale. I revived them by popping them in the oven on a baking sheet for a few minutes at 500ºF. No waste here! I was also lucky enough to have an avocado left, along with shredded cheese + sour cream, so the garnish was an extra treat!
This soup is great right out of the pot, but just gets better as the flavors meld (as with most soups), so don't hesitate to make this in a crock-pot and simmer all day long, and don't be afraid of leftovers!
