BLACK BEAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Yesterday I made a black bean vegetable soup. I adapted a recipe from one of the cooking sites that I frequent, allrecipes.com. The picture that I took may not do justice to how good the soup turned out. It is very tasty, low in calories and high in fiber because of the beans and the vegetables. My picture taking of food and other scenes is a work in progress. I have been to some sites where the picture of the particular recipe is very appealing to both your eye and stomach. For this particular recipe, I used frozen tomatoes and thawed them and I also used black beans that I had cooked versus canned beans. You can also improvise and add other vegetables. I would have liked to have added fresh cilantro to the bowl of soup but I did not have any in my fridge. Here is the recipe for black bean vegetable soup.

BLACK BEAN VEGETABLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 zucchini, shredded

1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained OR 3 cups of cooked beans

1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn OR 1 cup of frozen corn

ground black pepper to taste

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes OR 6 to 7 frozen or fresh tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock, 1 can of the beans or 1.5 cups of cooked beans, corn, zucchini and pepper; bring to boil.

Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree together tomatoes and remaining beans; add to pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until carrots are tender.