Southwestern Chicken Soup

By ruhroh

Ingredients

• 1 lb (16 oz) chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional; leave in seeds for more heat)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 c fresh spinach or about 4 oz frozen spinach (this is an estimate; you can add more or less)
• 1 T cumin
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes (preferably low-sodium)
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock (preferably reduced-sodium)
• 1/4 c cilantro, torn
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 14-oz can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 c cooked brown rice

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high flame, and add garlic, onion and peppers. Cook until soft and starting to get some color, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Add chicken and cumin and cook another five minutes. Add chicken broth, beans, spinach and tomatoes. Raise heat to medium-high and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sodium from optional salt not included.)

To serve: place 1/2 c rice in bottom of each bowl. Sprinkle avocado and cilantro on top.