In a saucepan, add olive oil, onions, bell pepper, garlic cloves and 2 Tsp of chopped cilantro and place over medium-high heat. Stir to coat everything with the oil then allow everything to soften, stirring occasionally (it’s ok if onions brown a bit!)

Once onions and peppers are softened, remove from heat. Transfer everything to a blender or food processor and add the tomatoes. Blend on high until everything has blended together and the mixture is thick and smooth.

Return everything to the same saucepan heat over a medium flame on stove until mixture begins to bubble. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir. Add chicken stock and stir – this is your soup base!

To make tortilla strips, pour about ½ inch of canola oil in a small fry pan. Slice tortillas into strips – you can decide the thickness! Heat oil over medium-high heat until you can see oil has become shiny and thinner (it will swirl around the pan very easily).Place tortilla strips in the pan and fry in batches until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Again – if you don’t feel like doing this, just use store bought tortilla chips!

Ready to eat? Fill a bowl with the tortilla soup base. Top with chunks of avocado, a few sqeezes of lime, chopped cilantro, a handful of shredded Mexican cheese and tortilla strips.

Meat option: Shred a cooked chicken breast and throw it right into the soup.