Mexican Vegetable Soup and Corn Bread

If you love to serve soup on Chagim, you don't have to go without since you serve dairy on Shavuot. Just skip the chicken soup this year and serve this spicy and savory Mexican vegetable soup. Wow your guests with some corn bread on the side!

Corn bread:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (1/2 pound), melted
3 eggs
2 cups half and half or whole milk
1/3 cup chopped chives (optional)

Sift together first five dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and mix the dry and wet just until incorporated; do not overbeat. Pour into a square pan and let sit for 15 minutes before baking at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Warm slightly before serving.

Mexican vegetable soup:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, minced
1 box white mushrooms, minced
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 small pinch cayenne
1 bay leaf
10 cups water
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Before serving: 4 oz. half and half or full cream, diced avocados, tortilla chips

Saute the onions, carrots and mushrooms in olive oil until softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hour. Puree if you wish. Before serving, add 1 ounce of half and half or cream per serving to add creaminess, and serve with tortilla chips, sliced avocado and of course, fresh warmed cornbread!