Fall is one of my favorite seasons. It signals that cooler temperatures are on the horizon, fall colors will soon be adorning the trees in our area, and for me the return of enjoying warm soups. One recipe that I love to make is a black bean soup that I found a couple of years ago in a Cooking Light magazine. The magazine front said "5 Ingredients & 15 Minutes". Wow! As a busy college student at the time it called out to me. I could feed my family on a school night without using all my studying time. Needless to say I bought it. This recipe is wonderful in many ways. It is made with beans, which are high in fiber and protein, it is a vegetarian recipe and it takes very little time and effort to prepare. Oh, did I mention it is the best black bean soup I have ever tried (not that I have tried a lot of them). It only makes four servings so a single person could make it and not have a lot of leftovers to deal with. I always make a double batch as I love having it for lunches. So if you are a soup lover, I highly recommend trying this recipe.
Black Bean Soup
Serves 4
2 (15 oz) cans lower-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 C. vegetable broth
1/2 C chunky salsa
1 T fresh lime juice
1 t chopped chipotle-chile, canned in adobo sauce
1/2 t ground cumin
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 C queso fresco, crumbled
Place beans in a medium saucepan. Mash beans slightly with a potato masher.
Stir in broth and next 4 ingredients (through cumin).
Bring to boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Remove from heat, stir in cilantro. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Enjoy!
