Vegan Black Bean Soup

A couple of weeks ago, my husband bought a ginormous (OK, it was big but maybe not that big) bag of black beans. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. I had thoughts of black bean hummus, burritos with black beans, maybe even a side dish or two. But on Thursday when my husband suggest that I cook them for lunch on Friday, I knew I had to come up with something, or else I would be stuck cooking them like we do red beans and rice and I wasn't digging that. So, I took to the Internet in search of some better ideas.

I came across a recipe on allrecipes.com that had my mouth watering....Vegan Black Bean Soup. I had intended to follow the directions exactly but as I began preparing it, I realized that I was out of an ingredient so I had to come up with a substitution and I also found that the cooking time was not long enough. So, here is my modified version of the recipe I found online. We loved it so much that it will definitely become a staple in our house and it's pretty inexpensive to make!

Vegan Black Bean Soup

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs chili powder (I substituted 1/2 packet of reduced sodium taco seasoning because I was out of chili powder. I also omitted the cumin below since the taco seasoning has cumin in it as well.)

1 Tbs cumin

Pinch black pepper

4 cups of vegetable broth (about 3 cans)

4 (15 oz) cans black beans (I used dried beans. Soaked a one pound bag of beans overnight. Drained and rinsed. Simmered for about 1 1/2 hours before making soup.)

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I only had a large can so I used a little more than half as some reviews said that the recipe needed a little extra tomatoes than what it called for.)

Heat oil in a stock pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Saute veggies and garlic for 5 minutes (this is NOT long enough and your veggies will be crunchy in your soup! Saute until tender, usually around 10 to 15 minutes). Add seasoning (taco or individual) to veggies and cook and additional minute. Add vegetable broth, half of the black beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, blend tomatoes and remaining beans until smooth. Stir puree into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat, simmer about 15 minutes.

*Since I initially only sauteed my veggies for the 5 minutes the recipe called for and they ended up crunchy. I put the remainder of the soup in the crock pot and cooked it on low for the rest of the day. It was even better that night when the veggies were soft. I believe you could probably put the soup together in the crock pot and cook it on low all day and still get the same results!

I served mine with a dollop of sour cream and a couple of splashes of hot sauce! Totally yummy!

Enjoy!

Peace, Love, and Healthy Living,

Jessica