Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup
7 corn tortillas
11/3 cups onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups tomato puree
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 bay leaves
11/3 cups chicken breast, grilled, cut into narrow strips
3/4 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Slice 3 tortillas into thin strips. Lightly toast the remaining whole tortillas and the tortilla strips until crisp on a rack in a 200-degree oven. Crush the whole tortillas and reserve the strips for garnish.
Sweat onion and garlic in a small amount of the stock until translucent. Add remaining stock, crushed tortillas, tomato puree, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and puree soup in a blender. Strain.
Serve warm, and garnish each serving with equal amounts of tortilla strips, chicken, avocado and cheese.
Serves 10.
Nutrition values per serving: 170 calories, 7 g fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 12 g protein, 25 mg cholesterol, 160 mg sodium.
"The Professional Chef's Techniques of Healthy Cooking, Second Edition" (2000 John Wiley & Sons)