Kayleigh's Easy Enchilada Soup Recipe

So here is the deal.  I am in a sling, and my family has been cooking, which doesn't happen often.  My husband and daughter are both good cooks.  Kayleigh is a baker and Paskie likes to do home style cooking.  I usually do all the cooking, cleaning and shopping.  Limited as I am right now with my mobility, they are pitching in.  We decided to see how long we could go without a trip to the grocery store for anything other than milk and bread. Like most people, we have a stockpile (AKA pantry) full of dried foods, boxed foods, canned items, and sauce mixes...  I will be posting recipes here for things we invent as we deplete the stockpile and save $$$ in the process.

I have been teaching Kayleigh how to cook with leftovers and what we have in the cupboards...  so she made this with my supervision and it turned out delicious.  It was supposed to be tortilla chicken soup, but it was thicker and tasted more like an enchilada, so we called it enchilada soup instead.

3 cans chicken (mine was the large cans from Costco) or 3 chicken breasts cooked till tender
1/2 large bottle spicy v-8 juice *
1 tbspn powdered chicken broth
1 white onion chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
8 green onions chopped
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbspns dried or fresh cilantro
1 can black olives
1 can mixed veggies which contain carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans (or 2 fresh carrots sliced)
8 corn tortillas
4 cups water

Break chicken up into shredded chicken.
Add to pot with V-8, water, taco seasoning, garlic powder, chicken boullion and simmer.
In frying pan, cook onions and celery (and fresh carrot if you use it) until tender.  Add to pot. 
Add olives and canned veggies.
Slice tortillas into thin strips and throw into pot.  Let simmer for 1 hour.  Tortillas will cause soup to thicken.  Can be served immediately without simmering 1 hour, but will develop more flavor if cooked longer.  Tastes delicious the next day.  When serving, garnish with cilantro and cheese.  If soup thickens too much, thin with water to desired consistency.
Makes 12 cups of soup.
* you can substitute the spicy v8 for a couple cans of tomato sauce, tomato juice, or 1 lg can of stewed tomatoes that you puree in a blender.
You can easily cut this recipe in half for a smaller batch.  We freeze it and it holds up well.

Sorry there is no photo.  We forgot to take one.  Will post one soon.