Bean and Tortilla Soup

This week my cookbook of choice has been another I have checked out of the library called Cheap. Fast. Good!  It is a great book full of time saving ideas ... however, I really had to pick and choose to find ideas that fit with a healthy lifestyle - lots of canned items -of course.  Seems like most of the quick cook books are.  I have to say that I have enjoyed making some quicker meals this week.
I loved this soup - think chicken tortilla soup but with beans instead of chicken.  I loved the addition of lime.  Added a great extra flavor.  I made the recipe as posted here (similar to the book in quantity and it said it served 4)  but if making again, I would more than likely add a third can of beans, more corn, and another cup of broth and adjust spices accordingly (1.5 times chili powder, cumin, sugar and lime) to make it serve my family.  Luckily DH did not eat at home and there was only about 1/2 bowl of left overs.  Aaron wasn't happy about this, but I smashed his beans and he ate at least 10 bites of soup with me spooning it too him.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn, rinsed to defrost
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• juice of 1 small lime
• tortilla chips (a few crushed in the bottom of each bowl.
• shredded cheese (cheddar, monterrey Jack, or Mexican blend) if desired - pretty sure we skipped this.

Directions

1. In a 4 1/2 quart soup pan,  saute onion in butter until fragrant.  
2. Add beans, tomatoes, garlic, corn, chili powder, and cumin to the pot.  Stir to blend.  Add broth, sugar and lime juice.  
3. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes to blend the flavors.  
4. To serve, crush the chips slightly and place in the bottom of the bowl.  Ladle the soup over the chips.  Top with cheese.