black bean soup

i love my new blog look!! love it!! if you are reading this on facebook , you should click on over to see my blog template!

anyhow, i promised aurelia i would post a recipe for this amazing black bean soup that i made last week.

first of all, let me say that i am in noooo way a professional in the kitchen. in fact, a lot of the time i am just making stuff up as i go along. i have recipes, but i only use them for inspiration. i hate having to follow detailed directions, so that’s why hate to bake and very rarely do. the best food i make is on the days that i am cleaning out the fridge. and thats how i made this black bean soup. for the record, i have an amazing recipe for real black bean soup. i wish i had the time to make it more!

so here is my recipe. now that i have a little one, i don’t always have time to make things from scratch. black bean soup is MUCH better if you buy the dry beans and also it’s better for the environment, as well. however, if your looking for something quick, warm and tasty to get you through a cold winter night , here it is.

you need:

2 cans of black beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
one small onion
port wine or any red wine that you like to drink
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
fresh chopped garlic or garlic paste

veg oil
salt
pepper
cumin
if you live in texas, buy some julio’s seasoning to use
if not, use season salt instead
paprika
chili powder
sugar

flour tortillas
avocados

rinse black beans first. ( canned foods are so high in sodium, and this should cut down significantly on it).

in a sauce pan, pour a dash of oil in the bottom and throw in the garlic and onion. when you start to smell the garlic, throw in the beans and diced tomatoes. i never drain the tomatoes, usually. then, pour a little of the wine in, as well. ( i forgot to mention that i never measure anything, so just do everything to taste).

the juice from the tomatoes and the wine make most of the broth. if you want more, then add some water or veg. broth.

bring to boil to let the wine cook out, then turn down to simmer. add as much cilantro as you want, and use the above seasonings to taste. **sugar adds a sweetness to the soup, but you only need a tiny bit. cover and turn on low.

in a separate pan, heat up some oil to fry the flour tortillas. i usually use peanut oil because it doesn’t burn as fast as others. you can also use corn tortillas. it really doesn’t matter, but i find that the flour tortillas add a chewy crunchiness that you won’t get with the corn.

cut the flour tortillas in half and fry til golden brown.

garnish black bean soup with avocado slices and the tortillas. i like to serve it with a side of cilantro/spinach rice, but you can have it with any kind or rice, alone or just make it as a side.

here is a crappy cell phone picture