2021 A to Z Challenge and Thankful Thursday April 22, 2021

Thanks to Brian for Thankful Thursday!

I am thankful for our family's continued good health! And I hope our world will soon recover from this horrible pandemic. May our world become a more peaceful place for everyone.

Today's soup is Spicy Black Bean Soup

This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

3 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use 1/4 teaspoon if you’re sensitive to spice)

4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, thinly sliced radishes, tortilla chips…

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, securely fasten the lid, and blend until smooth (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender, it’s very hot). Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup. (That is what I would do!!)

Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, vinegar/lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!.