WEIGHT WATCHERS MEXICAN ZERO POINTS SOUP

6 cups vegetable broth (I used 6 cups water and Better Than Bouillon)

14 ounces canned diced tomato, Mexican-style preferred
2 cups fresh green beans (start with 8 ounces, then trim and snap into bite-size pieces)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small zucchini (about 8 ounces before trimming)
1 cup tomatillo, cubed (start with about 4 ounces or 2 medium tomatillos)
1/2 medium poblano chili pepper, chopped
1 medium jalapeño, membranes and seeds removed, minced (I used several rings of homemade pickled jalapeños)
1 medium Spanish onion (that's a red onion), chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh oregano (I used 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)

2 roasted red peppers packed in water (I used these jarred peppers from Zergut)
1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (these are found in small cans in the 'Mexican' section and boy, and be careful, they are hot!!!! I used only a scant teaspoon)

Salt to taste (Weight Watchers says 3/4 teaspoon 'salt', I used a good couple of teaspoons of kosher salt)
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 2 limes)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

OPTIONAL BUT TIME-SAVING TIP Bring the vegetable broth (or water for bouillon) to a boil in an electric tea kettle or in the microwave while prepping the vegetables.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the vegetables and spices (canned tomatoes through as oregano) as they're prepped. Add the broth when it's ready. Whiz the red peppers and chipotle pepper in a mini food processor and stir in. (I love mine that came with an immersion blender. Could you skip this step? Yes but do make sure to mash the chipotle pepper to distribute as finely as possible throughout the soup.) Cover and bring to a boil. (Because I used boiling water, the soup was just starting to boil when I added the last ingredients.) Once at a boil, partly uncover the soup, reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in salt, lime juice and cilantro. Serve immediately.


KITCHEN NOTES
Call me surprised when the raw poblano pepper and raw Spanish onion cooked up into something delicious so quickly. Seriously, all these raw vegetables just cook to the perfect tenderness -- great work on the part of recipe developer Ronne Freedman!
The soup's heat does seem to moderate by Day Two.
This recipe makes me realize that A Veggie Venture's many one-point soup recipes can easily be converted to zero-point recipes, just by substituting a splash of broth for olive oil when sautéing the onion up front. These recipes might be good alternatives for Weight Watchers followers not excited about chopping vegetables for forty minutes.
A Veggie Venture is my own website packed with nearly recipes, each one featuring vegetables. It is not associated with Weight Watchers - more information.
Many thanks to Cornucopia in my hometown of Kirkwood for lending the placemat for today's photograph. If you love Fiesta Ware, Cornucopia has a huge collection. I just love the colors!