Black Bean Soup

This may have been what I was really after when I made the tortilla soup.  I love the black bean slurry I get at my local Cuban restaurant.  It's supposed to be a side, not soup, but that's how I eat it.

Minus garnishes, this recipe is vegan and gluten free.  You use the beans themselves to thicken it, rather than flour.  I chose to put avocado and corn tortillas on mine for garnish, so it was still vegan and GF, but you could easily add crumbled cheese, leftover chicken, or flour tortilla chips.  (I finally found out what made me sick, and it was the one cheese I hadn't thrown out after the incident.  Food poisoning, round two, and another dairy-free couple of days.)

I'm not forcing a specific diet on anyone, just offering a healthy option for Soup Month.  Plus, I'm going on a cruise in a few weeks (yay!) and am kind of pre-dieting.  Once I'm eating healthy on a regular basis, I'm less likely to make poor choices when I'm on vacation.  Good eating habits can be as addictive as poor ones.

*1 quart unsalted vegetable stock
*1 C dried black beans
1 Tb olive oil
1 diced red onion, divided
*2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
*1 bay leaf
*1/2 tsp dried oregano
*1 Tb tequila (optional)
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, minced (optional)
kosher salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lime
additional garnish options: avocado, sour cream, cotija cheese, pre-cooked chicken or pork, white rice, *tortilla chips or strips, *more cilantro, *the rest of the red onion, lime slices, etc.

1.  Pre-soak the beans for at least 4 hours, drain and rinse.  You can save time (about 6 hours) by using canned beans, but then they won't be cooked in the broth and it's going to result in a different product.

2.  Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high.  Sauté the onion, reserving 1/4 C for garnish, and garlic until softened.  Add cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and chili powder and cook another minute until fragrant.  Deglaze with tequila, if using.

3.  Add vegetable stock, beans, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and jalapeño (if using).  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until beans are very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

4.  Fish out the bay leaf.  Using an immersion blender, regular blender, or even a potato masher, purée half of the soup.  This is your thickener.  If you want a more brothy soup, purée less.  For something closer to mashed beans, do most of it.

5.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Also add the cilantro.  Return to a simmer and cook until thickened and the cilantro is heated, about 10 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and serve, garnished with the reserved red onion and whatever else you like.

Difficulty rating  :)