Black Bean Soup

Growing up in Arizona, Mexican food was part of my daily diet, but I never really cared for beans. After switching to a plant based diet my taste buds quickly changed and now I can't get enough of them!

I created this soup one afternoon when I was craving some beans but didn’t feel like making my usual black bean quinoa salad. It was a cool night, and soup was on my mind.

I love making soups from scratch, especially when I have my homemade veggie stock on hand, (you can substitute with whatever veggie stock you have on hand, but there’s nothing like homemade).

The soup is not too spicy (which made it great for my kids to try), full of good, wholesome ingredients so you won’t feel guilty about having seconds, and to top it off, the soup is a great source of plant based protein. Beans are a power house when it comes to nutrition- full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. 

Getting enough fiber in your daily diet is key in maintaining your health. Most people, including kids aren’t getting enough fiber in their daily diet, and your body ends up paying the price. Why not try swapping just one meal a day to a plant based meal, like this Homemade Black Bean Soup.

The recipe serves 4-6 adults and can easily be doubled to make extra for a weekday lunch or quick last minute meal. The soup will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer, just reheat the frozen soup in a crock pot.

Homemade Black  Bean Soup

Here's what you need...

2 cans of black beans, drained

2 tbsp veggie stock concentrate* + water

1 brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 chili, chopped

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander 

1 lime, juiced

1 avocado

fresh cilantro

... And now, how to prepare.

• Drain black beans while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, do not rinse the beans
• Sauté onion in a saucepan for 2-4 minutes or until translucent and aromatic
• Healthy hint- I sauté my onions in a little veggie stock over medium heat, instead of using oil. 
• Add garlic and chili to sautéed onion and sauté another 30 seconds
• Add in tomatoes, cumin and coriander to mixture and sauté another 1 minute
• Add half the black beans to the saucepan and mash the other half with a potato masher or fork, then add smashed black beans and veggie stock to saucepan and mix well. 
• Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer
• Simmer black beans for 10-20 minutes 

Garnish the soup with sliced avocado for some healthy whole food fat and top with diced tomato and cilantro. 

I like to serve my soup with either blue corn chips or my homemade whole wheat tortillas. 

Enjoy!

Notes

*   Vegetable stock can be substituted for veggie stock concentrate and water- just use ½-1 cup vegetable stock.

*   Vegetable bouillon cubes equivalents, 1 cubes = 2 tbsp veggie stock concentrate