Southwestern Black Bean Soup

This is quick, easy, and gooood! I was impressed how quick this was to fix and how flavorful and hearty it was. Defiantly a keeper! I found this recipe on a website called EatingWell.

It was icy and cold out the night we had this soup. It was also late in the evening by the time we got home from work and school -so I wanted something warm, hearty, and quick! I saw this recipe a few nights before and thought it sounded good, easy to make and I had everything in my kitchen - which was defiantly awesome! I don't recall how long it took to make this, but it was not long at all. I made it all in one pot and got everything ready to toss together while I was sauteing the onion. I totally didn't think to take a photo as we were so eager to eat, so below is the photo from the website. Perhaps the next time I make this I'll get a photo of it, as ours was garnished with shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some chopped fresh cilantro. Very good - enjoy!

From EatingWell: January/February 2010 —This is a zippy Southwestern-flavored black bean soup. It is made with canned beans so it comes together in minutes. If you have leftovers, pack them up in individual serving containers for lunch the next day.

4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
• 3 cups water (I used 1 can beef broth and enough water to make 3 cups)
  
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste -I added a little at the end)
  
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (I used just a little splash at the end)
  

optional (but totally recommended) garnish:

• dollop of sour cream
  
• a pinch or two fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• a pinch or two shredded cheese
  

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat (I did this right in the big stock pot I was going to use). Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add water, salsa and beans. The recipe says to add the salt at this point too, but I suggest to wait until the end - you may find you don't need it. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.
2. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Stir the puree back into the saucepan. I used a hand immersion blender right in the pot, and as always - it worked like a charm. I blended to the consistency I wanted . Serve and Enjoy!
   

Note: I garnished with sour cream, fresh chopped cilantro and some shredded cheese and it was wonderful!

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, if desired, just before serving.

ENJOY!