Confusion in California: Tortilla Soup with Shrimp

You often hear about the fabulous weather in Southern California.  It's a lie.  Kind of.  We do have fabulous weather, but what they don't tell you is how inconsistent it is.  When I first moved here, I never knew what to wear to school, because it could be sunny one day and pouring the next.

I now keep an umbrella and cardigan with me at all times.  But I do have a problem when dressing Thatbaby for school.  I never know whether to put him in shorts or pants. Long sleeves or short sleeves.  And this past week has been especially trying.  It's May, and yet cloudy showers and cold winds still dot our skies - mixed in with insanely hot days that feel like August.

When Mother Nature can't make up her mind - how do you expect me to?  Take a cold weather meal like soup, and mix it with my favorite warm weather food - shrimp!  As soon as spring seems to be working its way into summer, shrimp makes an almost weekly appearance in our house.  So it only seemed right to incorporate it into a soup.  And tortilla soup doesn't seem to be a heavy winter soup.  I think it's a combination of a tomato base and the spice.

 Tortilla Soup with Shrimp

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chile powder
2 Tbsp chipotles in adobo
5 cups chicken broth

1 can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 shrimp, peeled and deveined 

1. Heat oil in a pot and cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, chile powder, and chiles.  Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the chicken broth, hominy, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Let cool.
4. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot.  Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Add shrimp and cook till shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes.