What Vegetables? Tortilla Soup

A coworker brought this delicious tortilla soup to a potluck and I fell in love with it. I hate cauliflower and was so impressed that I was devouring it, "What do you mean there is vegetables in this?" This is basically nothing but pureed vegetables with a Mexican flare and thickened with tortillas. I have slightly adapted it and you should feel free to change it up to suite your own tastes or to use up any vegetables you have on hand. The soup is wonderfully savory and has a little kick of spice to it too. The garnishes really make the dish and it's fun to see your diners make their bowl of soup their own. I like mine with shredded cheddar, avocado, and few dashes of hot sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped. You can substitute an onion if leeks aren't available.
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled but left whole
• 5 mild chili peppers (Anaheim, Poblano, Pasilla), charred over flame or under broiler, then chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• water
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped with large stems removed
• tortillas - 2 medium flour or 4 small corn, toasted in oven and crushed into small pieces. You can also use a handful of tortilla chips instead if you have that on hand. 
• salt to taste
• milk (optional)
• garnish ideas: shredded sharp cheddar cheese, chopped avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips, and/or hot sauce.

1. Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic, and saute until fragrant and start to soften. 
2. Add in peppers and saute another 5 minutes. 
3. Pour chicken broth over vegetables and increase heat to high until it boils. Decrease heat to medium simmer ad add cauliflower. Add water if needed to cover the cauliflower completely. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until cauliflower can be easily pierced with a fork. 
4. Add cilantro and tortillas. Using immersion blender, puree until smooth.
5. Season with salt. If soup is too spicy you can add a cup or 2 of milk to decrease the heat.
6. Serve with garnishes.