the great souptacular

I apologize about the quietness around here as of lately.  Things have been pretty slow-moving with the transition into the new year.  A combination of the January Blues, coming down off the "holiday high", Russ working a lot of call shifts at night (two of his fellow residents had babies in Jan. so the other residents have to pick up the extra shifts), and wishing the sun would stick around for just a bit longer at the end of the day has me wishing for Spring and feeling just a bit...blah.

Something that never ceases to cheer and warm me up this time of year? Soup. Warm, delicious, hearty soup.  I saw Amber's soup and the original link-up over at A Blonde Ambition and thought I would join in on the fun for today - if nothing else, I love adding new soup recipes to my list as I try to make one every Sunday for my lunches for the week.  I've had my fair share of terrible soups (but the recipe sounded so good!) but there are always few that I can always depend to fall back on.  The one below is definitely one of them!

Ancho Pork & Hominy Stew

2 Tbsp Ancho Chile Powder
2 tsp dried Oregano
1 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 pounds Pork Tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
2 cups Onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium Chicken Broth
1 (28 ounce) can Hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) can Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside 1 1/2 tsp spice mixture.  Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.  Remove pork from pan; set aside.
3. Add 1 tsp oil to pan. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Return pork to pan.  Add reserved 1 1/2 tsp spice mixture, broth, hominy and tomatoes (with juices) and bring to a boil.
6. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

My favorite side item with this soup? Some cornbread - and even better yet? Jalapeno cornbread - YUM.

Feel like joining in the fun? Link up! And let me know you did so I can be sure to find out what your favorite soup is :)