Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped

• 4 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

• 5 cups (40 ounces) low sodium chicken broth (best quality, such as Swanson)

• 3/4 teaspoon oregano

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1-3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from half a lime

• 1/3 cup sour cream

• Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.

2. Add the black beans, chicken broth, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

3. Purée the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender to puree the soup in batches.) Stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro.

Keywords: mexican soup