Black Bean Soup

I really like beans. Any kind of bean. I especially enjoy soups made with beans. Here is a nice one made with black beans. It comes together quickly and easily. If you want to be more complicated, make the beans from scratch. Toppings for it can be as varied as your imagination. The one pictured had chopped red bell pepper, cilantro and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. Hubby likes pureed soups so this one is blended, but you can leave the beans whole.
The soup is vegan as long as you leave off the yogurt. It is adapted from Cooking at the Natural Cafe in Santa Fe by Lynn Walters. This made enough for dinner served with corn tortillas with about a cup left over for a hearty lunch for one the next day.

Mexican Black Bean Soup

Saute until softened, don’t brown the garlic:
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1 to 2 T oil

Add and simmer about 5-10 minutes or until fragrant:
2 to 3 chopped tomatoes or small can diced tomatoes drained or small can whole tomatoes chopped and drained (I used a small can of whole tomatoes)
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t black pepper
1/8 t paprika
1/4 t dried basil
1/2 t salt
1 t New Mexico red chili

Add and simmer for 20 to 40 minutes:
2 cans black beans
3C. water or stock or less if you want a thicker soup

Blend if desired and add:
2T cilantro
salt to taste

Serve topped with or your own ideas: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped red pepper, squeeze of lime and yogurt/sour cream.