While most Americans are at home watching the Super Bowl right now, I am writing this sitting at a near-empty Starbucks. If the Cowboys aren’t playing, then I’m not watching the Super Bowl. Not even for the commercials, which based on my Twitter feed right now, sound pretty depressing. I had already seen the Budweiser puppy commercial online the other day, and it was seriously cute again this year. I will admit to watching a few minutes of the kitten bowl. Cats are so fun! By the way, I tried Starbuck’s new Flat White coffee, and I’m a fan!
After a few amazing days of 70 and 80 degree temps, we are once again experiencing chilly weather. I was seriously just running in shorts a few days ago. Fickle Texas weather!
I recently checked a cookbook out of our local library called Pat’s Mexican Table, which has several tasty sounding recipes in it. This Black Bean Soup was inspired by one of the recipes in her book. She also has a blog with several of her recipes on it.
I love having pureed soups as a side or starter dish with my meals. I served this alongside a frittata that I made for lunch one day. Her recipe called for queso fresco as a garnish, but I used the mild feta cheese that she recommended as a substitute. The second day, I used sour cream instead of the feta and really enjoyed it that way, too. So, it’s really up to you how you want to garnish the soup. Hope you enjoy!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
- 2 poblano peppers , diced
- 1 small jalapeno , minced
- 1/2 medium white onion , diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 1 (25 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained or 2 (14.5 oz) cans
- 1/2 cup strained tomatoes or tomato puree (could also substitute salsa)
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a 4 qt. soup pot, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the poblano and jalapeno peppers and continue to cook until veggies are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the garlic, sea salt, ground cumin, garlic powder and cayenne powder to the pan and stir, let cook for about a minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock, tomato puree and black beans and stir to combine. Cover partially with a lid and let cook for 15 -20 minutes.
- Puree the soup until smooth using either an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor. If using a blender or food processor, you may need to work in batches. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
- Stir in the lime juice and serve garnished with either queso fresco, mild feta cheese or sour cream.