• Heat up a pot on medium-low and add in your oil and diced onion. Allow the onion to cook while stirring occasionally until it becomes soft and translucent.
• Add your ground meat to the pan and break up while mixing it in with the onion. Continue to break it up and mix it while it cooks. If your pan gets dry you can add a touch more oil.
• Once the meat is cooked, add in your broth, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, onion powder, chili powder, and salt. Turn the heat up to high and use a wooden spoon to scrape any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Add in your bell pepper, chickpeas (drained and rinse them), and canned corn (drained).

  Bring your soup to a boil then reduce to a simmer. This would be a good point to taste and see if you want more salt or spice added. Continue to simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour, stirring occasionally. This will ensure your veggies are cooked and your flavors are married together.
• At the last 10 minutes of cook time create your slurry and add it to your soup. Stir the starch and water together well, ensuring there are no clumps. Slowly stir it into your soup then turn up to medium for the last 10 minutes for a faster simmer, but not quite a boil. Your soup should get a nice creamy texture.

Frying Tortilla Chips

• This soup tastes great alone or topped with corn chips. I like to make my own fried tortilla chips for added crunch and flavor. To make your own fried tortilla strips, simply cut up your corn tortilla into small strips and bring your oil to the right heat on medium high heat (you may have to adjust the heat if your oil gets too hot).

  Test to see if your oil is ready by placing one tortilla strip in. If little bubbles quickly form around it, it's ready. If nothing happens, wait for your oil to heat up some more. Fry your tortilla strips in small batches so that you don't overcrowd your pan. Once they are golden brown remove them to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.