Wonderful Bean Soup Recipe

We had this for Val's birthday lunch yesterday, and though it was a bit to "hot" for the kiddos, we all enjoyed it. If you have little ones, maybe serve their portions out before you add the pepper, and then load theirs up with sour cream. I think Val got the recipe from Being Frugal. com, and it is REALLY good!

TGIF’s Black Bean Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion — white onion
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 cups dried black beans (can used canned, too- we did this time)
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
shredded cheddar cheese – for accompaniment
sour cream — for garnish

Rinse dry beans and discard any rocks. Soak beans all day the day before you want to make your soup. Put them in the crockpot on low with enough water to cover them before you go to bed, and let them cook all night.

In the morning, drain beans and remove from the crockpot. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly for 15 minutes or until the onions are practically clear. Keep the heat low enough that the veggies don’t brown and be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. While you cook the veggies, measure 3 cups of the beans into a food processor with 1 cup of chicken stock. Puree on high speed until smooth. (Val did it with a hand-held blender instead)

When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed beans, the whole beans, the rest of the chicken stock, and every other ingredient in the list, into the pot.* Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes or until soup has thickened and all the ingredients are tender. Serve topped with the cheese and a generous dollop of sour cream.

We served this soup with tortilla chips and a salad and called it dinner. What could be easier than that?

*If I’m going to be warming this in the crockpot all day, I add all the ingredients except for the whole beans to the crockpot at this time. I add the whole beans an hour or two before dinner, so they don’t get too mushy.