Recipe of the Week - - Black Bean Soup

Here's our recipe this week.

I'm choosing this recipe because it is a staple dinner in my household and it was one Amy and I discovered in a magazine while she was so graciously letting me live with her a few years back (Man, we had fun, eh, sis??)that we made a lot. It is vegetarian, actually you could consider it vegan if you used vegetable broth. Anyway, it's absolutely delish, so healthy and good for you, and super easy to prepare. Makes for great leftovers, but does not freeze well (as I have learned the hard way...). Here goes.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed really well
1 large can or 2 small cans diced tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 jalapeno pepper
4-5 (or more) celery stalks
2-3 (not small) carrots
garlic (whatever amount you like)
spices Cumin, Thyme, Bay Leaves
Vegetable (or chicken) broth
optional (not to me, though) brown rice, avocado, cilantro

Chop onion, celery, jalapeno, and carrots and saute them in your pot with garlic and a little olive oil for about 5 or so minutes, add the spices and cook for a couple more minutes As far as amounts on the spices, I kind of just eye it, but if I had to approximate, I would say a tsp or two of thyme and maybe 3 or 4 tsp cumin? (sound right amy??) and 2 bay leaves. Add the beans and tomatoes to that, mix it up and cover with broth (I usually just enough to cover what's in the pot). Bring to a boil for a minute or two, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the veggies seem cooked enough, maybe 15 minutes. That's it.

Yummy additions: I usually throw in about 1/2 or more of already cooked brown rice once the soup is done to make it even more of a meal. Plus rice and beans together make a great vegetarian protein. Doing this even fills my bottomless-pit-of-a-hus up. It's so yummy. We always always serve it with sliced avocado and cilantro. Those two additions are what make this soup so good, to me anyway. TRY IT!

See, told you it was easy.


p.s. Amy, I know this is obviously a recipe you know so it's nothing new for you, but it is just so "us" that I had to use it for this week. Next time will be something new for you to try. :)

p.p.s. if the phrase "black bean" plays over and over in your head like it has for me just now, it starts to sound really weird...black bean, black bean, black bean, black bean, black bean...see??