Black Bean Soup

Why bother buying a can of black bean soup when you can make your own?  It's so simple, and very cheap to make (especially if you are like me and stock up on beans when they're on sale...)

I used a recipe I found on the Kraft website but altered it a little for my liking, so here's what I came up with:

• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 T minced garlic (I just buy the jars of minced garlic so I don't have to worry about cloves going bad)
• 1 T ground cumin
• Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
• A drizzle of EVOO (equal to maybe a tablespoon)
• (3) 16-ounce cans of black beans, undrained
• 1 14-ounce can of chicken stock
• 1 16-ounce jar of salsa (if you want some spice, I suggest getting the hot)
• 2 T lime juice

Cook the onion, garlic, cumin, red pepper and oil in a large pot on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is tender.  Remove from heat.

Place 1 can of beans with some of the chicken stock in a blender and blend until pureed.  (The original recipe calls for 2 cans to be pureed, but I found the soup to be a little thin for my liking).  Stir into pot along with remaining beans, chicken stock, salsa and lime juice.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.

Makes about (9) 1-cup servings.