Mexican Casserole Soup

I'm becoming more comfortable in the kitchen to where I venture in and toss things together in a pot just to see how it tastes. There are some hits and misses, but this one blew me away. When I younger, I remember my mom making a Mexican casserole. This dish consisted of layering corn tortillas, meat, cheese and cream of mushroom in layers and topping with an enchilada sauce. Since I've gone vegan, I have to forgo dishes like that and this soup accidentally reminded me of that dish!

I had every intention of using a recipe straight from Chef AJ's Unprocessed, but I realized I didn't have a can of diced tomatoes. What I did have was some random food that needed to be used up before it was too late. This recipe is definitely inspired from her Tomato & Tortilla Soup. I was disappointed that I couldn't follow it exactly, but was delightfully surprised with the outcome of my own creation.

Mexican Casserole Soup
yields 8 bowls

2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups oka, diced
1 cup corn
4 tomatillos, diced
1 red tomato, diced
2 jalapenos, diced
3 cups water
10 tortillas, cut into six pieces each
dash cayenne
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle
dash paprika
dash chili powder
1 cup almond milk
1 avocado (optional)

1. Sautee onions and garlic in water on medium high heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add okra, tomatoes, corn, water, jalapenos to the sauteed onions and garlic and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in spices and tortillas.
4. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
5. Uncover, add almond milk and use an immersion blender to blend until desired consistency is achieved. Add more milk to thin out soup if needed.
6. When serving, add a few chunks of avocado to garnish.

This is best served with Happy Herbivore's cornbread (add one jalapeno for a kick!)