1quartlow-sodium chicken brothor low-sodium vegetable broth for vegan/vegetarian
315-ounce cansblack beans
½small bunchcilantroabout ¼ cup chopped
½lime
sea saltto taste
freshly ground black pepperto taste
Toppings (all are optional):
sliced ripe avocado
chopped cilantro
a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced green onions
Instructions
Prep: Dice the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper, and mince the garlic; set aside. Chop the cilantro and juice the lime, chopping a little extra cilantro for garnish if desired. Rinse and drain the black beans.
Sauté: Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat until shimmering, and add the onion. Sauté for a couple minutes and then add the celery, carrots and red pepper and sauté for another couple minutes until the veggies start to soften. Add the garlic and saute one minute more.
Simmer: Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, broth and black beans, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
Blend (Optional): Using a ladle, scoop about 3-4 cups of soup into a blender (but don't exceed your blender's max fill line) and blend at low speed until smooth being mindful that the steam escaping through the top of the blender will be hot. Add the blended soup back in to the pot. Or, use an immersion blender right in the soup pot to the desired consistency. The goal is for the soup to be about half smooth, half chunky. If you prefer all-chunky soup, simply omit this step.
Season: Stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy: Serve in individual soup bowls and garnish as desired.