An Apple A Day: Easy Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite fall traditions is apple picking.  I love all "pick your own" fruits, but apples are my favorite.  This year, we decided to do our trip while TMIL was in town so she could enjoy the fall festivities too.  And Thatmom joined us too, so it was a grandma-stravaganza.

L&O went apple picking the week before we did and texted me about the fabulous new orchard she had discovered.  She had such a good experience, we decided to follow suit.

I'm glad we listened, because this was a great orchard!  Lots of apples to pick.

And the apples themselves were big and delicious!  Thatbaby loved eating them right off the tree.  

                                

Jurisslave and Jurisbaby ended up meeting us a the orchard, and Jurisbaby also enjoyed eating his fill of apples.

I like apple picking because the trees are the perfect height for little toddler hands.

As much as Thatbaby loved picking and eating apples, his favorite part of the orchard was the big orange tractor.  It was really hard to get him off, and he continued talking about it for days after.

After the orchard, again at L&O's recommendation, we headed to Jeremy's On The Hill for lunch. Thatboy loved this restaurant and I think it sealed the deal for making this our best apple picking trip to date.

After, we took TMIL into Julian to show her around.

And of course, stopped in at Dudley's on the way home for bread.  We made out with quite an apple haul!

Normally this would be a great time to share an apple recipe.  But I'll tell you the truth.  It's been 4 days since we went apple picking, and those bags are just about as full!  Except for the apples I've been packing in our lunches, I haven't had time to do any apple related baking.  Not with TMIL in town!  It's been all about quick dinners that can feed all of us.

And with my love of tortilla soup, can you blame me for trying to find a shortcut?  I love this soup, but it always takes such a long time to put together.  This is my easy version - especially if you have cooked chicken.  I'm not going to lie - it doesn't have the depth of tortilla soups where the peppers are roasted, but it's much quicker to throw together.

Easy Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pasilla pepper, seeded and chopped 

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 cooked chicken breast, cooked, cooled, and shredded

4 sprigs cilantro leaves, chopped

juice of one lime

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, garlic, peppers, cumin, and coriander and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the chicken and cook until heated through.
5. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and serve.