Caldo de Res (variation on a theme)

This afternoon I made a variation of Caldo de Res. It was a variation of Caldo de Res because there was no res in the caldo I made. Caldo de Res translates to Beef Soup. It's a popular dish at the Mexican restaurants around here. It always looks amazing. A big ol' bowl filled with broth, meat and chunked vegetable topped with lime, cilantro and jalepenos. I decided to give a shot veggie style and sassage (Midwest pronunciation) style for Tracy.

                                          caldo simmering in the pot

Ingredients

olive oil
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon Better than Broth
3 bayleaves
7 cups water
1 white onion - chopped
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 large potatoes chopped into large chunks
3 carrots chopped into large chunks
3 ears of corn - each ear chopped into thirds
1 lb of oyster mushrooms
2 sausages
cilantro
lime
jalepenos

                                          meaty caldo
Directions
1. Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until brown
2. Stir in tomatoes and 1/4 cup cilantro, add salt and pepper - simmer for 5 minutes
3. Stir in Better Than Broth until well mixed with base
4. Add water and bay leaves, simmer for 10 minutes
5. Add carrots, simmer 10 minutes
6. Add corn and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes
7. Add mushrooms or sassages, simmer 10 more minutes (for this recipe I dished the soup into another pot and added the sausages)
8. Ready to serve! Put in a bowl with plenty of broth and and even amount of ingrediants.
9. Garnish to taste with cilantro leaves, freshly squeezed lime juice and jalepenos.

                                          finished product with dunkin ins on the side

I thought it came out well. It was as satisfying as I hoped it would be. It gave me inspiration to try to make veggie pho.