Taco Soup

Taco Soup: when outside its 4 degrees, and inside it's 212 degrees

It is a lower sodium recipe, with 450 mg of sodium and 250 calories per 16 oz.

ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp wine (optional)
1 onion, chopped
3 (or 4 or 5) cloves minced garlic 
1 box (32 0z) plus 1 can (14 oz) low sodium beef broth (totals to 46 oz)
2 cans no salt added 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes

2 tsp dry ranch seasoning mix
2 tsp taco seasoning mix
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp table sugar/ 1 packet of Splenda (more or less to cut acidity/heat)

36 oz (3 small bags) of whatever frozen veggies you like
1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
1 chipotle pepper (optional)

instructions:

1. In a dutch oven or large pot brown the beef. 
2. Add the wine and scrape the meat that's stuck to the bottom; this step isn't necessary, but 
it helps with clean-up later; for more information on cooking with wine, see this site: Cooking with Wine.  
3. Add the onions for 5 minutes with the wine and beef. Side note: if you already know how spicy you want your soup to be, put in your peppers in now; the flavor will be more incorporated in the soup). 
4. Then put in minced garlic, constantly stirring or the garlic will burn, for 1 minute. With not a moment to lose, add in the 14 oz CAN of beef broth (or honestly the can of whatever is closest to you), then you can chill out knowing you won't have a burnt garlic soup.  
5. You can dump in the rest of the beef broth and diced tomatoes after that. 

6. Put in all of the other seasonings (you can change the ratios to your taste).

7. Bring dat thang to a boil, then let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, MEANWHILE....

8. Cut up your spicy peppers and put those in.  If you're like me, you know you like 
spicy food, but you really don't know HOW spicy you like it. So chop some up, put a little in, stir it up, wait a minute, then taste. Repeat until your satisfied. Skip this step if you're like, "Psh, I added my 5 ghost peppers in with my onions and beef in the first steps."

9. Depending on your spiciness level, add the sweetener (more if very spicy, less if no-so-spicy)

10. Dump in your frozen veggies at the end, bring back up to a boil, then immediately turn off your stove and close the lid.

Put your favorite junk on the top. I prefer everything: sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, cheese, fresh cilantro/parsley (if I have it).