Black Bean Soup
Last night I hit a home run with a dinner that pleased a carnivore (my husband) and a quasi vegetarian (my daughter) and it took me all of 15 minutes to make. I was beside myself with joy, really. Several times a week I make something different for dinner and when I hear silence (which I often do), I don’t even have to ask “Is this a repeat?” anymore as I know the answer. But, I keep trying because I love variation, flavor, and the discovery of a new dish. At my core, I believe food is fuel but I also want to enjoy a meal. Comfort food and old standbys aside, enjoying a meal is also discovering a flavor that wakes up your taste buds and brings a new excitement to eating while nourishing your body.
I made Black Bean Soup with homemade croutons. The recipe is a variation of a Cooks Illustrated (www.cooksillustrated.com) recipe called “Quick Black Bean Soup with Avocado” that I adapted to suit my tastes: more onion, less red pepper and garlic, chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, and the addition of bay leaves. The comments from my family ranged from “Anne, this is really, really good” to “Mom, can you make this again tomorrow?” I was glowing inside. And, when they got up from the table to get seconds and then fought over who was going to score the last spoon full, I couldn’t help but gloat.
God threw me a bone with this one.
Black Bean Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of one elephant garlic clove, minced fine
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 15-ounce cans of Eden Organic Black Beans, Not Salt Added
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Heat olive oil over medium heat until the oil becomes fragrant.
- Add the onions, red pepper, and salt.
- Saute the onions and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chipotle chili and cumin, stir and saute for about 20 seconds.
- Drain and rinse the black beans. Puree one cup of chicken broth and half of the beans in a food processor until smooth.
- Stir pureed beans, the remainder of the whole black beans, and remaining broth into the pot.
- Add the bay leaves.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and discard.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with homemade croutons (recipe follows).
Homemade Croutons
2-3 slices of homemade bread (mine is from my bread maker), cubed
2 tablespoons Whipped Salted Butter
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
- Place the cubed bread into the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, turning the cubes every few minutes.
