Black Bean Soup

Black beans should not be restricted to just a side dish! These legumes are high in fiber and protein so they increase your sense of fullness and will keep you feeling satisfied for longer. Black beans also contain an array of phytonutrients which possess antioxidants! This Black Bean Soup came to me while I was brainstorming dinner ideas to bring my friend who just had a baby! I decided on a Mexican inspired theme and figured this soup would be a simple solution for leftovers! This soup gets very thick if you don't eat it right away, if that happens to you just add more broth to thin it out. Be generous with your seasoning here, you want the soup to have big-flavor! 

Black Bean Soup

You need:

• 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, diced very small (I like my onions VERY small so I dice mine in the food processor) 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 jalepeño seeded and diced very small
• 2 cans low sodium organic black beans (do not drain!)
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 large ripe avocado, diced
• 1 tbl chopped fresh cilantro 

Get cooking:

1. Heat olive oil in a cast iron dutch oven (or a large pot!) over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic, jalepeño and onion with dash of salt into the oil and cook until onion is translucent, about five minutes.
3. Add the ground cumin and coriander to the pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
4. Add the vegetable broth, black beans with their liquid, dash of pepper and lime juice. 
5. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
6. Transfer about three-quarters of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Do this in small batches so that your soup doesn't explode in the blender! (Talking from experience, here :P)
7. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt. Reheat if needed. 
8. Top with cilantro, avocado, sour cream and a splash more of lime juice.