Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of the recipes I found on my second pass through the TOH cookbook. Mondays we have our friends over for supper, and Melissa likes to be a guinea pig. Also her kids usually eat Mexican, so it's a safe bet. Plus I really really like Mexican cuisine. Don't tell Steve, but we are having a very Mexican, and very soupy, week of dinners.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
4 oz can chopped green chilies
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (omitted by me)
1 tsp ground cumin
5 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained (I couldn't find these, so just used plain)
3 cans (5 oz each) white chicken, drained (I cooked, cooled, and cubed chicken breast instead of buying the cans)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (yummmmmmm)
2 tsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed tortilla chips
Shredded MJ cheese or cheddar cheese (I used shredded Mexican because I always have that)

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in oil; add the chilies, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in chicken. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Top with chips and cheese. 7 servings (or in our case, 3 adults and 5 children, and 2 lunch-sized servings leftover)

This was quite flavorful, but not spicy at all. Probably because I left out the jalapeno. I think I am actually contemplating putting it in next time (what?? I know). Nathan & Emma just picked out the chicken, but all the other kids ate it all, and the grown ups liked it too. Another keeper!