Tastes like Amy's Spanish Rice and Red Bean Soup!

I recently made up a tortilla soup that tasted almost EXACTLY like Amy's Spanish Rice and Red Bean soup, and it's only a fraction of the price!

It's made with dried red beans to save money, but if you're in a pinch you can you canned red beans easily. I'd use about 2 cans.

When made as is (no added oil), a one-cup portion of this soup has about 160 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, 8.5 g. fiber, 8.2 g. protein, 28% of your daily Vitamin C, and 9.5% of your daily iron.

1 c. small red beans, dried
1/3 c. long-grain brown rice
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Tb. minced garlic
1 c. frozen corn, thawed, with the water squeezed out
1/2 c. salsa of choice
1/2 a zucchini, finely chopped
3 Tb. tomato paste
1 can green chiles
1 (16 oz.) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 Tb. dried cilantro
1/2 Tb. raw sugar
1 Tb. lime juice
Vegetable broth

1. Place the small red beans in a large soup pot. Rinse and pick through. Cover with enough water to have about 1 inch above the bean line. Cover, bring to a boil and boil for three minutes. Turn off heat and allow to sit for about 1 hour.

2. Rinse beans and give them enough fresh water to cover them about 1 inch above the bean line. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour.

3. Meanwhile, toast the corn in a small skillet sprayed with nonstick over high heat. Let it toast over high until it gets golden brown, or even a little black. Add it to the simmering beans.

4. Wipe out the skillet and spray it with some more nonstick. Saute the bell pepper and onions until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add them to the simmering beans.

5. Add the brown rice, salsa, tomato paste, green chiles, zucchini, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cilantro, and sugar to the simmering beans and allow everything to simmer together for about 45 more minutes (add the rice after the beans have been cooking for 15 minutes so the rice and beans get done at the same time).

6. Once the beans and rice are done, add the crushed tomatoes and give everything a good stir. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it to your desired thiness by adding some vegetable broth or water. Cover the soup and allow everything to simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and serve! I usually leave mine kind of thick.