Slow Cooker Southwestern Corn and Red Pepper Soup

This recipe is perfect for a cold night, like say Halloween evening. It is simple and will warm you up for sure. This soup, minus the milk would also make a great base for a Tortilla soup or any other Southwestern inspired soup.

1 dried New Mexico Chili
1 cup boiling water
1 small onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves (fresh or dry will work)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups frozen corn kernels
2 large roasted bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups low fat milk

1. Place the dried pepper into a heatproof bowl, add to it 1 cup of boiling water and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the pepper for the water, and under running water remove the stem and seeds.
2. Place the New Mexico pepper, onion, garlic, cumin seeds, rosemary and 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock into a blender or food processor and puree. Add the pureed mixture, the remaining broth, salt, pepper and corn kernels to the stoneware of your slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on LOW.
4. Add the roasted red pepper and milk, cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
5. Serve warm and top with tortilla strips/or shredded cheese.

Serves 8, 1-cup servings: 117 calories, 1 gram of fat, 1 gram of fiber. These calories are for the soup only and exclude any toppings.