1/9/15 Is it soup yet?

Well, it's obvious that I'm desperate for blogging topics when I'm posting recipes. :-)  But it's cold here in Florida and soup is good food. Plus we're on a diet so soup is definitely on the menu. I had a hankering for green chile stew and found a few recipes on the net, but being incapable of following a recipe I made my own stew with green chiles in it. Can't call it green chile stew as green chilies are absolutely the only the common element. Well, ok, I guess it doesn't even have "official" green chiles in it, but the poblanos are as close as I could get. And they are very green. It is yummylicious though.

2 poblano chiles, charred over a flame or roasted in the oven, and skin removed, or substitute canned chiles (You can youtube how to do this or check out this page: http://www.focusnewmexico.com/chile/chile2.htm  I might use canned next time, this charring was a pain and used too much propane)

1 small onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, chopped

1/2 T olive oil

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 T chili powder

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, I used ones flavored with garlic etc so didn't use any added garlic. If you use plain, add a crushed garlic clove

1 14 oz can hominy, drained and well rinsed

1 can of stock, chicken or veg would work well. I used powdered bouillon and a can of water.

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and saute the onions and green chiles until tender. And the garlic if you're using a clove. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, hominy, stock, cumin and chili powder. Simmer till done.  Topping with some chopped fresh cilantro would be awesome. I didn't have any.

It really came out well. More heat than I expected but just wonderful on a cold day. Next time I might add some smoked paprika to bump up the smokiness. I also might use the diced fire-roasted tomatoes, think that will be good too. I'm waffling over the idea of adding mushrooms...  Also, for those who don't care for hominy, subbing potatoes or chickpeas might be an idea. I'm sure it would work well in a crockpot too.