Follow Your Heart

When I asked my friend Shannon how she made Taco Soup, a deliciously enticing soup I'd been hearing about in our church for a few months, she gave me a few main ingredients and then laughed and said, "Just follow your heart!".  I loved that statement and the sentiment behind it.  The best things I've concocted in the kitchen often come from following my heart and pouring not only great ingredients into the dish, but also my love; love for the food I'm cooking and love for my family.  So on Christmas Eve, when time was crunched and I wanted a meal that we could sit down together and enjoy, I took Shannon's advice and followed my heart to this amazing tasting and wholly satisfying soup.  You can use the recipe below as a general guide, but take my friend Shannon's advice and go with those ingredients in your cupboards that make your heart sing!

Make some hearts, and mouths happy tonight in your home!

Taco Soup   

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
2 tsp. Mexican chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cans (or 4 cups cooked) beans (I used red kidney & black beans)
1 can (or 2 cups frozen) corn
1 20 ounce can of tomato product (I used crushed, but you can used chopped or stewed for the flavor and consistency you'd like best).
2 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable) - I used this to thin out the crushed tomotoes and make the soup less "chili" like.

Method:
1.)  Brown the ground turkey in 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
2.)  When meat is mostly browned, add onions and saute until tender.
3.)  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more
4.)  Stir in taco seasoning and spices
5.)  Add beans and corn, mix well
6.)  Add crushed tomatoes & broth.
7.)  Bring to a boil
8.)  Serve & garnish with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream & tortilla chips - basically anything you love on tacos tastes fantastic on this soup!

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