Spicy Black Bean Soup

For a Tex Mex Taste that is not overwhelming, quick and hearty, this soup is wonderful. It is Tastee!

1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil (canola or olive are my choices)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Cups water
1 Can (14.5 ounces) chicken brothe or 1 and 3/4 Cups Chicken Broth
1/4 Cup Coarsely choped fresh cilantro
lime wedges

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occassionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minues. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, and crushed red pepper; cook 30 seconds. Stir in beans, water, and broth; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Spoon one-fourth of mixture into blender; cover, with the center part of cover removed to let steam escape, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into bowl. Repeat with remaining mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with wedges of lime. Makes about 6 and 2/3 Cups or 6 first course servings. Cooking and prep time APPROXIMATELY 30 to 45 minutes.

NOTES: Thank you Good Housekeeping for this great recipe. There are a couple other items that I did to change up the recipe. I cut up some sausage and sautee'd it until lightly brown, which was added to the soup after it was puree'd (approximately 1 Cup of sausage). This added texture to the soup. I also served the soup with a dollop of sour cream in the center, garnished it with the cilantro and a wedge of lime. Surprisingly enough this soup is not spicy hot. I thought it might be with the cumin as one of the ingredients. Squeeze the lime wedge into the soup and enjoy!

STRETCH--Your dollar!
You can purchase bulk cumin seed at a lot of grocery stores in the "Mexican" isle (they usually come in packets of about 1/3 a cup). If a recipe calls for ground cumin here's what you do. Turn on the back burner and place a non-stick small fry pan on the heat, add the desired amount of whole cumin. Toast the seeds until you can smell the pungent odor of the seeds heating up. Turn off the burner and remove the pan. Pour the seeds in a mortar and pestle or small spice grinder; render the seeds into powder. The result is a ground cumin for a fraction of the cost and a more 'fresh' taste to your ground cumin.

Don't have a blender or food processor? Check out the local Salvation Army or Good Will. With careful shopping you can find a great item like this for a small amount of money. 3 years ago, I found an unused blender for $5.99. I don't do anything fancy with my blenders so a basic blender covers my needs perfectly. Why go for the spendy, gadgetty, top of the market item when all you do is make a smoothy? It's a waste of money.

Finally, generic or store brand canned black beans work fine. You don't have to buy the name brand item to make this soup. DO look for salt free black beans or reduced salt. A little salt goes a long ways and if you are adding the sausage, you already have plenty of salt in that. The majority of the canned items on the market are all canned in the same plant. They just slap a different logo on the label.