Dayle's Black Bean Soup

Mmmm...I am getting hungry thinking about it. It's 10 now - that's not too early for lunch is it?! I made this for dinner last night - it's easy & tasty & you can put just about anything you have on hand in it. And what good is it having a friend for an RD if she doesn't include a nutrition analysis in her recipes? So I've done the basics for you. Enjoy!!

Makes: ~12 cups. Serves 8
Per serving (1.5 c serving size)
Calories: 138
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 38g
Protein: 14g
Fiber: 23g
Sodium: 455mg

Ingredients:
1 TBS garlic, minced. I used 3 good sized cloves.
1/2 medium bell pepper, diced. Any color is fine.
1 jalapeno, diced finely. I only seeded 1/2 the pepper & left some seeds/membranes for a little kick! (This soup would also be good with chilis in adobo - I would only use 1...2 if you can take the heat!)
1 medium onion, diced. I used purple because we can't get enough purple onion at the Hogue's!
1 TBS EVOO
16 oz black beans. PLEASE use dried beans vs canned. I do the "quick soak" vs overnight. The back of the bag should tell you what to do - if it doesn't, I can help you out.
5c veg stock. Or chicken stock, whatever you have. You could definitely use low sodium, I just didn't have any.
2 tsp chili powder & cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander, onion & garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish with roughly chopped cilantro, finely minced onion, avocado, sour cream & lime wedges. Nutrition note: 2 TBS (~1 oz) avocado will add 50 calories, 4.5g fat (healthy fat!) and 2g carbohydrates & 1 TBS light sour cream adds 20 calories, 1.25 g fat, 1g carb, 1g protein, 12mg sodium.

Method:
1. Heat EVOO in a large stock pot (at least 4qts) over medium-high heat

2. Add the veg - onion & garlic first, peppers after a couple of minutes. Allow to brown for about 5 minutes. (Note: Dinner always tastes better when prepared using a hand made wooden spoon from your talented grandfather! So use one of those if you have one on hand!)

3. Stir in all your spices until the veggies are coated.

4. Add your pre-soaked & rinsed black beans.

5. Add veg stock until beans are covered - about 5 cups.

6. Bring to a boil uncovered, cover & let simmer for at least an hour or until the beans are soft & your house smells wonderful!

7. Remove pot from heat. Scoop out & reserve some of the liquid (but don't scoop out the beans, about 1-2 cups) if you want a little thicker texture. You can always add it back in later if you need to thin it out some. Use immersion blender in the pot or transfer in batches to a blender.

8. Ladle 1 1/2 cups into your bowl, garnish & enjoy! If you really want to make your family happy - serve with home made tortillas! I recommend the Pioneer Woman's recipe.

WARNING: beware of stepping backwards without looking while in the kitchen. The deliciousness of what you are preparing will bring all able bodied people & animals to hover behind you - sniffing in the goodness. You may just step on some little toes if you aren't careful!