Saturday, December 3, 2011

Black Bean Soup


I usually wouldn't think of making Black Bean Soup. Soaking the beans overnight, and all that, is just too much work for me. However, I was watching an episoide of Dr Oz and he showcased a really quick version, that was really, really tasty....and healthy, too!

I played around with the recipe, using different chili powders ( Chipotle and Ancho ), and liked it when I added a little bit of each. They gave the soup an earthiness that you wouldn't get with just regular chili powder.  Do try to use at least one of these in your soup. You'll be glad that you did.



Black Bean Soup


4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

· 1 tablespoon canola oil

· 1 small onion, chopped

· 3/4 tablespoon chili powder

· 1 teaspoon ground cumin

· 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

· 3 cups water

· 1/2 cup prepared salsa

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 tablespoon lime juice

· 4 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

· 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1.     Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. 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 beans, water, salsa and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.
Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree (use caution when pureeing hot liquids). Stir the puree back into the saucepan. Serve garnished with sour cream and cilantro, if desired