Spicy Chicken Tomato Soup

a healthy and hearty dish for a cold autumn night....delish!

recipe adapted from here and here
 Ingredients
1 cup chicken broth or more
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2  medium yellow onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small orange bell pepper - diced
10 baby carrots - diced
1 stalk celery - diced
1/4  teaspoon chili powder
1/4  teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
sea salt to taste
sprinkle of black pepper
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 cup cooked and diced or shredded chicken
2 tbsp frozen corn
2 tbsp canned black beans
handful of crispy tortilla strips
Optional toppings: finely chopped onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado and corn chips

 Method

1. In a soup pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, tender and slightly browned. 
2. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the bell peppers, celery, carrot and the dried spices. 
3. Cook the the peppers for a minute or two, and then add the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes quickly; squeezing them with your hands while they are still cool or using the back of a spoon or with a few pulses of an immersion blender. 
4. Add the chicken, corn, black beans and broth and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add sea salt to taste.
   Serve with the toppings of your choice.