Blackbean Soup

Oh! What a warm bowl of black bean soup does to the soul of a southerner...even one at heart!  This evening as the rain continues to saturate our county with hurricane Joaquin threatening the east coastal communities, I got home before my husband and cooked up a big pot of soup.  I had some leftover couscous that I made a few nights ago, so with shredded cheese and Greek yogurt, we had a fulfilling meal, the two of us.

As with many soups, this one called for chicken stock which I have plenty of homemade stock made from the rotisserie chickens we get from Sam's club periodically.  See the recipe here. All it took from start to finish was about 30 minutes, so it is a quick, hot, and flavorful meal for any workweek evening!  Here's the recipe:

 Black Bean Soup

2 -14 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground pepper
3 cups, chicken stock, (I use my own homemade)
1 can dices tomatoes
Hot sauce, optional

In a large pot, sweat the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are transparent.  Add the drained beans, tomatoes, and stock following with cumin, pepper and optional hot sauce.  Allow the soup to boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and with an immersion blender, lightly blend the soup just until it begins to look smooth with bits of tomatoes and beans still remaining.  Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream (we use Greek yogurt) and shredded cheese.

For the final ending to our meal, my husband topped chocolate chocolate chip ice cream with a dollup of whipped cream and a spritz of Amaretto!  YUM!!!