Black Bean Soup

I meant to make some black bean soup at the same time as the tacos, however, it had to wait until a few days later.  Luckily we're still enjoying the tacos!

BLACK BEAN SOUP
2 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots diced
1 onion diced
a couple of cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp diced jalapeno or 1 tbsp Amy's homemade salsa
2 cans black beans undrained (preferably low sodium since you don't drain them)
1 can diced tomatoes undrained (I used the tomatoes with green chilis)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
lime (or if no lime use red wine vinegar)

 In a large pot heat the olive oil and sautee the onion, garlic and carrot until they are softened.

Add the cumin and the jalapeno.  I didn't have any jalapeno so I added a heaping tbsp of my salsa which is pretty damn spicy.  Add the black beans, the tomatoes and the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Lower to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

Pour off 3 cups of the soup, add to a blender and puree.  Return to the pot and continue to simmer. 

At this point I tasted and started seasoning.  The soup definitely needs salt and a dose of black pepper.  Ideally I would have added some lime juice, but since I didn't have any I added a splash of red wine vinegar.  I like my foods pretty spicy so I added a bit more of the salsa, probably a little more than I would have liked.

Jason and I both had a ladle full of the soup with tacos the night I made the soup.  Personally, I think soup is ALWAYS best one day later.  The flavors have time to meld and, in the case of my spicy soup, mellow.  However, even on day one it is definitely a success.

Drink with a New Glarus Spotted Cow.