One of my favorite soups is black bean. I love it with a little spice. Yesterday sure was a cold day, so this warm soup really hit the spot (even my 2 y/o nephew liked it).
My mom made this for me initially on a cold fall day when we were moving my sister. She always takes care of me being the vegetarian in the family and all. She made everyone else chili with meat and bean soup for me; which is a great source of protein by the way. I asked her for the recipe right away and have been eager to try to recreate it ever since. When I asked her for the recipe all she gave me was the ingredient list. As any good cook (wink wink ….mom) they tend to leave out all the portions because it’s “a pinch of this and that”. And like all recipes made by loved ones it’s the person making the recipe that make them so comforting and special to us. So naturally on my birthday I made this recipe!
This recipe yields 7 (1 cup servings) 3 WW plus points per serving
Ingredients :
3/4 cup carrots chopped
3 large cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup of celery diced
1 cup of red onions diced
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes ( 15 cut in half)
1 (15 oz) can of black beans undrained (1 3/4 cups) (reduced sodium if able)
1 (15 oz) can of pinto beans (reduced sodium if possible (1 3/4 cup) undrained
1 tsp of ground cumin
32 oz water
2 tsp of high quality vegetable base ( Penzeys)
1/8 tsp chipotle seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Add some red pepper flake for extra heat adding 1/8 tsp at time
Canola Cooking oil spray
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Special note: if you do not have vegetable base you could always use low sodium vegetable broth instead of the water (preferably from a carton not a can) .
Directions:
1. In a medium stock pot sauté onion, carrots, garlic, and celery with cooking spray. Add cumin, salt, pepper and chipotle. Sauté on medium high heat until onions become translucent.
2. Add water, soup base, tomatoes, cans of beans and bring to a boil.
3. Turn to lowest setting and cook covered for 4 hours.
Add a pinch of cilantro to each bowl for extra flavor if desired.
Enjoy!